The Yamis of Tokyo U: Freshmen
by Wingleader Sora Jade
Summary: Yugi and crew are off to college! Romances bloom, but so does trouble in the Shadow Realm... *Complete!* Everyone's ready to scatter out for the summer, but Ryou gets a disturbing prophesy of the future courtesy of Hatred...
1. Arrivals and Meetings

The Yamis of Tokyo U 

by WSJ 

WSJ: ^__^v Peace out! Welcome to the new mini-series! It's a continuation of my _Unseeing Hearts Trilogy_, the most recent of which being _Sacrifice of Shadows_. You should most definatly read my trilogy if you're to have any clue of what's happening in this. ^_^ 

It's been three and a half years since SoS, so everyone's around eighteen/nineteen. Ryou's still blind, Bakura's still mortal, yatta, yatta, yatta. They haven't had any more major run-ins with the Shadow Realm since then, which is all about to change... 

Warnings: Well, lots of various couples... Mild Japanese cursing, and, ah yes, a very Americanized Japanese college. *sweatdrops* Gomen, but I don't know what college in Japan's like, so I'm sticking to what I know of American colleges... 

I don't own YGO, unfortunately... *pouts* Various OCs (such as Hiro and Gwen) are mine. Amoura Letazuat is _not_ mine, however. She belongs to my very good friend Brood Mayran, from her story _Another Chance at Everything_. Hope y'all like this! Gimme good reviews for it! ^_~ Pleases? 

()()()()() 

The Yamis of Tokyo U 

Chapter 1 -- Arrivals and Meetings 

"Ryou!" 

Eighteen-year-old Ryou Bakura snapped to attention, straightening up out of his day-dream in a hurry. "Hai sensei?" 

"Could you please demonstrate the kick that Chang has just tried, to show him what he's done wrong?" Ryou's martial arts sensei asked. 

Ryou smiled and gave him a quick bow before moving to the middle of the dojo. "Hai," 

Although Ryou was blind, he was one of the best martial artists at the school. His telepathic powers (although no one but his closest friends knew about them) gave him the ability to easily sense his opponants moves, and since he had no sight to distract him, it was easier to focus. Sometimes he'd even put a bit of a psycic burst into his punches or kicks, Ranma-style. Unfortunately, today was also his last class. Tomorrow he and Bakura, his "brother", were leaving for college at Tokyo U. And besides, Ryou was already almost better then the instructor. 

Ryou easily demonstrated the kick, and the sensei thanked him before dismissing the class. "Ryou," he said as an aside. "I really wish you'd stay on and help me teach." 

"Sorry sensei," Ryou said with a grin, shaking his head. "College calls. I'll come back whenever I'm in town though." 

"I hope so," sensei said. "You're one of the best students we've ever had. And we're losing quite a few to colleges in these next few weeks. Ah well, just promise me you'll practice everyday." 

Ryou bowed and came up smiling. "Of course sensei. I love the martial arts. They've given me a sense of meaning since I lost my sight three years ago." 

"Ryou!" 

The Blind One grinned as the familiar light blue aura eclipsed the doorway of the dojo. "Coming Bakura! Bye sensei," He turned and headed for the door, grabbing his waterbottle and gym bag as he went. He was still dressed in his gi, but he didn't really care. 

Bakura was waiting just outside when he immerged, also still dressed in his gi. The ex-yami was a master of the martial arts as well, and the only difference between the two was that Bakura fought armed and practiced hidden weaponry, while Ryou preferred to fight unarmed. "Konnichiwa Bakura. Done for the day?" 

"Done forever," Bakura said, a mischeivious grin on his face. "Sensei announced me a master when I pulled a battle ax out of my sleeves." 

Ryou gave his other a reproving glance as the two stopped at the door of the dojo to pull on black slippers over their bare feet. "Bakura, a battle ax isn't proper weaponry and you know it!" 

"Of course it is!" Bakura chortled as the 'brothers' began the walk home. "It does severe physical damage, doesn't it?" 

Ryou sighed. "I meant that it's not proper weaponry for a martial artist! Really Bakura, first a machine gun, then a flame thrower, and now a battle ax? Why can't you just stick to katanas or shuriken?" 

Bakura shrugged. "Hey, I'm an ancient Egyptian. What would I know about the weapons of a Japanese samurai?" 

"What do you know about machine guns and flamethrowers?" Ryou countered. 

"Plenty! Malik taught me!" Bakura said, the huge innocent smile on his face not fooling anyone for a second. 

The Blind One sighed. "Right... So, have all your packing done?" 

"Most of it. Just a box or two more to go. What time are we leaving tomorrow anyway?" 

"Seven AM," said a voice from behind them. 

Bakura and Ryou turned around to see/sense eighteen-year-old Yugi Moto and "nineteen-year-old" Yami Moto standing behind them. 

In the four years that Ryou had known Yugi and his other, they'd changed quite a bit. Yugi had finally hit a growth spurt, and was now actually a little taller then Yami, but still the shortest out of eveyone else. He'd also taken to keeping his hair a lot shorter then he had during Duelist Kingdom and Battle City, and it now stuck out from his head in crazy, inch-long violet and black gelled spikes. He'd even trimmed his bangs, so that they stuck out in a blond fringe that just reached his eyebrows. 

He'd matured a lot too. His face had gotten longer and less chubby, although his eyes still held that profound innocence he was so known for. Yugi's taste in clothes had changed a bit too. Currently he was wearing a black tanktop and tight jeans, boots similar to what he'd worn in Battle City, and his usual belts, although he also wore some silver jeweralry to offset the gold of the Millenium Puzzle which was, of course, hanging around his neck from its chain. 

Yami-Yugi, in contrast, had barely changed at all. Even in false form, he kept his hair in the same huge spikes it had been when Yugi was younger. In body and face he looked exactly the same as he always had. He no longer, however, wore the hideous Domino High school uniform, since he took on whatever clothes Yugi did. 

Ryou chuckled, thinking that none of them would ever have to wear that evil blue uniform ever again. 

Ryou and Bakura themselves had changed a bit over the years as well. Since Bakura was a mortal, he'd had to learn to worry about things like his hair and clothes. The ex-tomb robber had taken to wearing his hair just above his shoulders, and usually dressed in clothes similar to what Yugi wore. He hadn't changed much physically, save that he got a little leaner and developed some muscle, mostly from the martial arts. 

Ryou, in contrast, wore his hair longer. Now it was almost down to his waist, and he kept it tied back into a low ponytail most of the time. He dressed as he always did, in whatever suited him that particular day. However, he'd ditched the "preppy" look a long time ago after Yami, Yugi, and Bakura had dared him to wear leather. Tea had nearly fainted when she saw him, and actually asked who he was. Well, actually, she'd asked for his phone number, since she didn't realize it was Ryou. _Then_ she'd asked for his name, and when he said he was Ryou Bakura, she'd fainted. 

"Seven _AM_?!" Bakura asked. "By Ra, what for?" 

Yami gave him a strange look. "It takes roughly four or five hours to get from here to Tokyo University. We'd get to the campus about noon. Then we'd have the afternoon to unpack and settle in before classes start the day after tomorrow." 

Bakura sighed. "If you say so..." 

Yugi and Ryou were walking just behind Yami and Bakura, and caught most of the conversation. "So," Ryou asked innocently. "Are we going in the jeep or the clunker?" 

Yugi snorted at the hint that his car was good-for-nothing... Which it was. "Jeep seats six, so we'd have extra room for luggage." 

Ryou grinned. "My jeep it is!" 

Over the past two years, Ryou had been saving up for his own car, and three months ago had finally saved enough to buy an extra-big jeep. He couldn't actually drive it, of course, but he'd had it custom painted, loved it to death, and called it 'my precious' every now and then. He, Bakura, Yugi, and Yami were going to ride together up to Tokyo U, to save on gas. 

Ryou lowered his voice and leaned over to whisper in Yugi's ear, "Have you told Yami about your little 'surprise' yet?" 

"No-o..." Yugi admitted, sweatdropping slightly. Ryou rolled his frosted brown eyes, and Yugi sighed. "Okay, okay, I will... Hey Yami," 

Yami and Bakura broke from their conversation and looked back at their hikaris. "Hai?" Yami asked. 

"Um..." Yugi looked at his other nervously. "I... Er... I've signed you up for classes Yami. I figured that if you went to a modern high school and survived, you might as well go to college too." 

Yami looked stunned for a moment, and then, to the surprise of all, burst out laughing. "Yugi! That's one of the best things I've ever heard! I was just thinking this morning about how bloody _boring_ it would be sitting in my soulroom all day! This is great news, thank you aibou." 

Yugi blinked. He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting when his yami heard the news, rage maybe, but this wasn't it. Ryou chuckled and nudged him in the side. "I _told_ you," 

The four resumed walking, and soon they reached the Game Shop. "Come in for awhile?" Yugi asked, holing the door open for them. Ryou and Bakura politely declined, pointing out that they were still in their gi's and were all sweaty from martial arts. 

"Okay then," Yugi teased. "Go home and shower. See you in the morning!" 

"Bye Yugi! See ya' tomorrow Yami!" 

The Motos disappeared into the Game Shop with a jaunty wave from Yugi, and Bakura and Ryou continued toward their home. "We are getting up at 5:30 AM tomorrow," Ryou said firmly, already knowing what his other's reaction would be. He was right. 

"Aw... Ryou! 5:30? What fooor?" Bakura whined, sounding like Rebecca Hawkins on one of her worse days. 

Ryou rolled his eyes upward. "First, you have to load all our luggage into the jeep-" 

"Me? Why? Aren't you going to help?" 

Ryou winked at him. "Because _I'll_ be making breakfast. You can't boil water, let alone toast bread!" 

". . ." 

The next morning, Ryou was up at five, showered, dressed, and downstairs making breakfast, as promised, when Bakura stumbled in at five-forty-five. The ex-yami still looked half-asleep, and his silver-white hair was sticking up in clumps. Ryou chuckled and refrained from comment as he handed the yawning Bakura a cup of coffee. He could easily sence his other's sleepiness, and even his mental aura was yawning. 

The coffee, however, helped perk him up, and by six-fifteen both teens were outside, loading their luggage and various boxes into the back of the jeep. There was still plenty of room for the Motos' things, and if needed, stuff could be tied on top. They climbed in, Bakura driving and Ryou in the front seat. They picked up Yami and Yugi, and then headed for Tokyo University and their new life. 

"Bakura! Gimme a hand with this!" 

Bakura scuttled over to help Ryou lift the particularly heavy box and lug it into the freshman dorms. Ryou could've just levetated it, but since they didn't know the sort of people they'd be dorming with yet, they'd decided to keep the psycic profile down. 

"Which room's yours aibou?" Bakura grunted, nodding a thanks to Yami as he held the door open for them. 

"A-6. It should be about half-way down the hall." 

They'd actually arrived much earlier then they'd planned, and not many people were there yet. The freshmen dorms were all housed inside two huge two-story brick buildings, right next to each other. The girls were housed in one, the boys in the other. So far, Yami, Yugi, Bakura, Ryou, and a couple other guys they didn't know were the only ones there. 

"A-6?" Bakura asked. "Same. They probably put us together because we're 'brothers'." 

Although Bakura was technically one year ahead of Ryou, and could have already been a sophmore, he'd decided to wait and go to college with Ryou and everyone else. 

Since there was no one around and both Ryou and Bakura had their hands full, Ryou turned the doorknob telepathicly and then nudged the door open with his foot so that he and Bakura could stumble in with the box. Bakura blinked twice as he took in the young man sitting on one of the beds. His hair was close-cropped and black, and his eyes were a mischeivious brown, a lot like Bakura's own. 

"Hullo roomies!" the man said pleasently, standing up to help put the box onto a pile of other ones in the corner, which were presumably his. "I'm Hiro Kawagami, eighteen, a freshmen of..." he shrugged. "Who knows what classes mom signed me up for!" 

Bakura grinned and decided he was going to like this Kawagami guy. "I'm Yami Bakura, but just call me Bakura, nineteen, and this is my brother Ryou, eighteen." 

"Ohayoo," Ryou piped in politely from where he was rumaging through the box he'd just put down. He then remembered that he wasn't supposed to be able to find anything, and waved down Bakura. "Bakura, help me find my gi. I don't want it wrinkled." 

Bakura obliged him, taking Ryou's place by the box. 

Hiro looked at him with a furrowed brow, and Ryou grinned, pointing to his dull, muddy brown eyes. "I'm blind." Hiro began to make approprietly sympathetic noises, and Ryou held up a hand. "Accident three years ago. I'm used to it." 

"Here Ryou," Bakura handed Ryou his gi, and the Blind One moved toward the closet to hang it up, sticking out his hands to feel his way, just for Hiro, since he could easily sense and avoid furniture. 

"Oh, you practice martial arts?" Hiro asked, perking up. 

Ryou laughed and nodded as he fished for a hanger in the monstrous closet. "Hai, Bakura and I both. I practice karate and some Tai Chi, while Bakura just practices about anything involving weaponry." 

Hiro grinned. "I practice karate. Wanna spar sometime? Or can't you...?" 

Ryou chuckled. "I can do martial arts perfectly well. It's a little harder without being able to see, but I manage." 

Before more could be said, Yugi stuck his head around the open door. "I thought I heard you guys in here. Come on, Joey, Tristan, and Tea just got here." 

"Yugi," Ryou stalled him a moment. "This is Hiro Kawagami, mine and Bakura's new roommate." 

"Ohayoo," Yugi replyed. "I'm Yugi Moto. My, er, brother Yami and I are right across the hall, room A-9." 

With that Ryou, Bakura, and Yugi trooped outside, leaving Hiro to start his unpacking. "So have you found out who your roommates are yet Yugi?" Bakura asked. 

"Well, since Yami's a registered student, they assigned him a room, mine, and Joey's in our room too." Yugi chuckled. "Malik's rooming with Rex Raptor, of all people. Malik signed Ishtar up for classes like I did Yami, so that the third 'person' in their room. We haven't figured out Tristan's room yet." 

"Any idea when Malik and Isis'll be getting here?" Ryou asked. 

Yugi shook his head. "None. With Malik driving, it could be anywhere between now and next November." 

Ryou just shook his head. 

Out of all of them, Joey Wheeler, eighteen, had changed the least. He still wore his dirty blond hair however it fell, but at least now he kept the bangs trimmed so that they didn't hide his eyes. He still dressed in the same style clothes as well. 

Tristan Taylor had also changed very little. Several weeks prior, just after he'd celebrated his nineteenth birthday, he'd gone and had his hair buzzed, and tipped blond. He gelled it up into spikes like Yugi did his. He'd ditched the trench coat, and was currently wearing a navy blue _Ranma_ t-shirt and khaki cargo pants. 

Tea Gardener, eighteen, out of all of them except maybe Yugi, had changed the most. She'd let her hair grow, and it now reached down to mid-back. She usually kept it tied back into a ponytail or braid, and today she'd opted for a French braid. Several strands were escaping and hanging into her blue eyes, just as large and expressive as ever. She still had a passion for mini-skirts, and was at the moment dressed in a light green one, with a white, off-the-shoulder top that showed some of her stomach. Her feet were wrapped in white leather sandels that had straps that criss-crossed her legs almost up to her knees. 

Malik Ishtar, almost nineteen, had changed a bit, but not as much as Tea or Yugi. He was a lot taller and leaner, and his hair was longer, almost the same length as Ryou's. He, too, prefered to keep it tied back. He still wore his characteristic golden jeweralry, and his clothes consisted of whatever he could find that was clean. Ishtar had changed nothing at all, like Yami. 

Isis Ishtar, twenty-one, had changed very little as well, save for the fact that her hair was a little shorter, and these days you could find her in slacks more often then not. She was a senior at Tokyo U, and had been giving the new freshmen tips and advice all summer on college life. 

Soon the guys were all settled into their rooms, including Malik and Ishtar, who had arrived. After exchanging hellos, Isis had headed over to the senior dorms. Tea had been mostly hanging around with the guys, slightly apprehensive of going over to her own dorm. At least all the guys were rooming with at least one person they knew. 

Finally she sighed and pulled a duffle bag out of Joey's car, beginning the short walk to her dorm and her roommates. Just as she laid her hand on the outside door handle, she heard a startling familiar 'ohayoo Tea!' from behind her. She turned with a smile to see Mai Valinetine, twenty-year-old junior. 

About five months ago Mai had gotten cabin fever in Domino City, and had disappeared for at least half the summer. She'd returned with a tattoo, her hair cut and dyed, and a whole new wardrobe to go with her whole new outlook on life. The tattoo was a Harpie Lady, on her right shoulder. Her hair was now as short as Tea's had been during Duelist Kingdom, and was streaked with blue and purple. Her wardrobe, in contrast, was a lot more conservative then it had used to be, and was now somewhere in a cross between Serenity's and Tea's. For instance, at the moment she had on jean capris, black platform sandels, and a black tank-top that was made to be too long, draping itself over her shapely hips. 

"Hi Mai," Tea said. "Why aren't you over at the junior dorms?" 

Mai leaned against the brick exterior of the building to catch her breath, and flashed Tea a smile. "Believe it or not, Isis and I are the freshman resident advisors. We'll be living in slightly bigger dorms in here," she jerked her thumb at the freshman building, "To oversee you guys." 

"You and Isis are our RA's?" Tea asked. "That's pretty cool." 

Mai nodded, and grinned again. "When 'Sis and I heard you guys were all coming to Tokyo U, we lobbied ourselves into the possition. Of course, we're not RA's for the guys, they have their own. But at least we won't all be across campus from each other, eh?" 

Tea nodded, and reached to open the door and find her dorm, when Mai put out a hand to stop her. "Just a second kiddo, there's something I need to tell you before we go in there. Isis and I put you in a dorm with two foreign exchange students. Partially because you actually bothered to take the high school English classes, and you're taking it this year in college, and partially because we think you can handle it." 

"Hey, that's great!" Tea said, grinning. "I was wondering if I'd be able to practice my English outside of class." 

Mai raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Well, how's your French?" 

"Nani?" Tea asked, confused. 

"One of the students in American, and the other is French. Both of them speak English, and they can speak Japanese pretty well. But both of them, the French one especially, are worried about seeming rude because they don't know the customs here. Neither one of them has ever been to Japan before." 

"Oh, that's no problem at all!" Tea said. "As long as they speak a little Japanese, and I speak a little English, I think we'll be able to make each other understand. And customs are no problem, I'll coach them." 

Mai's face creased into a smile. "Good. I was hoping you'd say something like that. Although there isn't much to know _here_. This college is getting pretty American. Okay, let's go meet 'em. They're both already here, I think." She opened the door and led the way inside, to the second room on the left. Mai pushed open the door, gesturing for Tea to go in before her. 

Two girls were sitting opposite each other on two of the beds, holding a heated conversation in English. Tea caught some of what they were saying, about half. When the door opened, both looked up. 

The first girl, who looked to be about seventeen, had long, straight platinum blond hair and green-grey eyes. She was dressed in navy slacks and a light-pink t-shirt, her shoes shucked by the door so that she sat barefoot on the left bed. 

The girl on the right had sea-green hair that fell to about mid-back, and brown eyes. Her hair was wavy, and the ponytail it was in curled around itself. She was wearing a white skirt and blouse, and a baret was perched on her green locks. A white kitten was sitting on the bed next to her. 

"I thought they didn't allow pets." Tea said to Mai, who shook her head. "They do if they're small, and quiet." 

"Ohayoo," the blond said, standing up. "My name is Gwendolyn Kennedy, and this is Amoura Letazaut. Gomen, I don't speak much Japanese, and not very well." 

"It's okay," Tea replied in English. "I know a little bit of English, so I guess we'll help each other as we go along." 

"Oh," said Amoura in accented English. "Zat iz a big relief! I vas afraid no one vould underztand vhat I zaid!" 

Tea blinked a couple times, and then grinned. "Well, I guess I'll have to learn to decypher the accent, but we'll make it work." 

"Hey now," Gwendolyn said. "You're accent isn't anything to rejoice about either, Jap." 

"Jap?" Tea asked in confusion, and Gwendolyn grinned. 

"Well, you have yet to introduce yourself! Although for some reason you look really familiar to me..." 

"Oh! Excuse me, my name is Tea Gardener." 

As soon as those words were out of her mouth, Gwendolyn began to laugh and had to sit down on the bed, or risk falling over. Still laughing, she pulled a wallet out of her pocket and flipped it open, showing the other three the picture inside. It was Tea, taken a couple years ago, when her hair was a lot shorter. Tea began to laugh too. 

"Gwen! I wondered why the name sounded so familiar!" Tea giggled, looking at Amoura and Mai's puzzled glances. "Gwen and I have been pen-pals since second grade," she explained. "I know you kept joking that you were going to come to Tokyo for college, but I never thought you'd actually _do_ it Gwen!" 

Gwen shrugged. "Yeah, well, I had nothing better to do, and when the exchange student program asked for volenteers I was like 'hell yeah!' So here I am!" 

Mai grinned. "I leave you three to get aquainted/re-aquainted. Isis and I've got more freshmen to meet." She was about to close the door when Tea piped up, 

"Oh, Mai, all of us and our new roommates are going to get together at the Rec for dinner at about six tonight. Why don't you and Isis stop in?" 

Mai didn't even have to ask who 'us' was, since it pretty obviously ment Yugi and the rest of the gang. "Sure thing hun, see ya' there." Mai blew a kiss to the three of them and then ducked out. 

"Amoura, Gwen, you'll come too, right? My friends would love to meet you." Tea said, taking a seat next to Gwen. 

"Zure," Amoura said, smiling. 

Gwen looked a little more thoughtful. "It depends on if there'll be any cute guys there or not..." 

Tea rolled her eyes. "Two words, Yami Moto." 

Gwen squealed. "Oh! That hottie you sent me a picture of a couple months ago? What about that white-haired guy?" 

"Bakura? Yeah, he'll be there too." 

Gwen squealed again. "Count me in!" 

Amoura and Tea just looked at each other. It was going to be a long year with a bouncy American in their midst. 

()()()()() 

WSJ: *grins* So how was chapter one? I'm trying not to put too many OC's in, since that can ruin the story. I'm trying not to make them Mary-Sue's either. 

Oh yes, about Yugi's appearance. Does anyone remember the animated series _Nascar Racers_ that was on a few years back? I imagine Yugi as looking like Charger, except, of course, with purple and black spikes instead of blond. ^_^ I don't know where the mental image came from, but I wish I could draw it, because what I see in my mind is yummy-licious! And can't you just imagine Ryou with a ponytail? *squeals* 

And no, before anyone asks, Gwen is not supposed to be me. I'm trying to stay away from making this a self-insert. ^_^; 

Updates will be coming rather slowly for two main reasons. The first is that these chapters are obviously a lot longer then the ones in the rest of the series were. Secondly, I got Dark Duelist Stories for my GameBoy last night, and I'm hooked. (Tristan's such a wimpy duelist!!!) 

Oh yes, one last note for Brood. Could you send me a list of Amoura's cards? I'm too lazy to go re-read Another Chance. ^^; 

Chapter 2: Everyone gathers at the campus cafe for dinner, and a round of introductions are made. Friendly banter follows, including, but not limited to; French jokes, American puns, Japanese insults, and a bowl of flying soup. 

God bless minna-san! 


	2. Monty Python's Flying Soup Bowl?

WSJ: *giggles* So glad all you guys liked this!!! Oh, and I really need to make something clear: Ryou being blind and Bakura's mortal-ness (is that a word?) are not spoilers. Like I mentioned breifly last chapter, this is the sequel to three of my other stories, _Visions of the Heart, All Saints' Night,_ and _Sacrifice of Shadows_. That's where Ryou was blinded, Bakura got mortal-ified, and Seto got killed and yami-ified (you'll see in a chapter or two. ^_~) 

Anyways, thanks for all the support, and I hope you leave more reviews!!! 

Disclaimer: I don't own YGO or Amoura and Yunet, who are Brood's. I do, however, own Hiro, Gwen, and Takeo. 

Oh yes, and for those of you who've read my trilogy, I never name somebody without the name holding meaning. ^_~ Look up some of my OC's names and you'll see what I mean. One in particular I'd like to point out is Shen, Ryou's father. If you can't find 'em or are just too lazy to look, e-mail me and I'll give you the meanings. 

Someone requested a list of the pairings. Well, even _I'm_ not sure which way they'll end up, and this'll be sorta soap-opera-ish, so I'll just list out all the couples I plan to do/hint at at one point or another, 'kay? ^_^ Here ya' go. 

Malik/Tea, Ryou/Serenity, Joey/Mai, Yugi/Tea, Yami/Tea, Tristan/Serenity, Shaadi/Isis (don't ask...), Gwen/Hiro, Gwen/Bakura, Amoura/Yami, Amoura/Ryou, Joey/Amoura, Mai/Yami, and probably a lot of others that I can't think of right now. I may use all of these, I may use none. But pretty much any straight pairing is possible. 

If you're wondering why Seto isn't around, well, you'll see. ^-^ Those of you who've read my trilogy should know. He _will_ be in this though, just not involved in any of the romance. 

Someone wanted some info on the Dark Duelist Stories game? E-mail me at yamatos_fangirl@hotmail.com and I'll be glad to answer any questions. ^_~ These authors notes are already long enough. 

Oh! And I have awesome news! For those of you who remember my big long rants on the subject of the writing contest I went to a couple weeks ago, I have some great news! I got qualified to go to the state writing tourney! It's on April the 12, which is the same day as the school play I'm in. *sweatdrops* I'll have to leave the contest _as soon_ as I'm done, and rush over to the school for make-up and costume calls. It's gonna be one hell of a day, so please start praying for me, even now. ^_~ Or keep your fingers crossed, whichever. 

()()()()() 

The Yamis of Tokyo U 

Chapter 2 -- Monty Python's Flying... Soup Bowl? 

Ryou and Bakura arrived at the Rec, the college's cafe, with Hiro in tow at a little after six. It was fairly crowded, but the three easily found the big table which Yugi had reserved earilier that afternoon. Malik and Ishtar were the only ones there, both looking a bit bored. Malik had on a black t-shirt and jean shorts with tennis shoes, while Ishtar was dressed in the same, save his shirt was bright red with an orange streak across the center. 

Ryou slid into a seat next to Malik, while Bakura took the seat across from him, next to Ishtar. After a moment's deliberation, Hiro sat next to Bakura. "Malik, Ishtar, this is Hiro Kawagami, mine and Bakura's roommate." Ryou said, flipping his thick ponytail over his shoulder to hang down in front of him. The cafe was air-conditioned, but it was still the middle of August, and his heavy white hair was making his back sweat. 

"So where's your roomie?" Bakura asked after the five had exchanged pleasentries. Apparently, this was the wrong thing to ask. They'd ordered their food and started in on their salads while they waited for the others to get there. When Bakura mentioned roommates, Ishtar bit right through his fork, and Malik slowly mutilated the knife he was holding without even realizing it. 

"Uh... Can we do this _without_ destroying cutlery?" Hiro asked. 

"What's the matter?" Ryou asked in the same instant, sencing the annoyance building up in their auras. 

"That bad huh?" Bakura chuckled a moment later. 

"Yup," was Malik's curt answer. "Rex's a jerk." 

(WSJ: I can't remember if Ryou and Bakura have ever met Rex, or if Malik and Ishtar have. For the sake of the story, Ryou and Bakura have, but Malik and Ishtar haven't. ^~ Gimme a break, WB's only shown the new episodes as far as the Esper Roba duel, which is what's on this Saturday.) 

Ryou chuckled. "Well, he's never won any prizes for kindness..." 

Ishtar growled. "He refused to come. I have half a mind to take that Two-Headed King Rex he goes on about and shove it up his-" 

"Ishtar!" Malik said sharply. The yami chuckled sheepishly and hung his head. "Gomen aibou...." 

"Be thankful you're not rooming with Weevil," Yugi said, plopping into the seat next to Ryou. "And that Weevil isn't even coming here. Hey guys." 

"Hi Yugi," they chorused. Yami took a chair next to his hikari, and Joey sat down across from him, next to Hiro. 

"Name's Joey Wheeler," he said, and Hiro smiled sheepishly. 

"I'm beginning to get the feeling that a lot of you guys know each other..." 

"Understatement," Malik, Yami, and Bakura said at the same time, casting glances at their others, who began to laugh. Hiro and Joey just looked at each other and shrugged. 

"Um... Bonjour," said a quiet voice from behind them. "Are you Tea'z friendz?" 

The group turned to see two girls standing uncertainly a couple feet away. One was blond, and the other had long sea green hair. "Hai," said Yugi, blinking. "You're her roommates?" 

"Oui, yes," the one with the green hair said. "Tea 'ad to get zomething, and she told uz to go on ahead. My name iz Amoura." 

"Amoura," Joey repeated, jumping up from his chair. "I must say that we are flattered you chose to have dinner with us!" He bowed to the French girl and kissed her hand, causing her to giggle. 

"Hey, what am I?" asked the blond. "Blue Eyes food?" 

"No, no," Hiro hurredly said, standing up as well and bowing slightly to her. "We're very glad you came." 

"_Thank_ you," Gwen said, casting a pointed glance at Joey, who was now flirting shamelessly with Amoura. "At least _some_ men around here have manners!" 

Yugi laughed as Gwen took a seat, and Hiro sat down next to her. "That's Joey for you, always looking out for the ladies. I'm Yugi Moto." 

"My name's Gwendolyn Kennady. Please, just call me Gwen. Tea should be here any time, I think she ran back to the dorm to get her purse." 

"Do you play Duel Monsters?" Yami asked. "I heard you mention a Blue Eyes." 

Gwen's eyes lit up. "I do! I was wondering if anyone over here played." 

"Over here?" Yugi asked. "What do you mean?" 

"I'm American," Gwen said. "I knew Mr. Pegasus sponsered a couple tournements over here, but I had no idea how popular Duel Monsters was in general." 

Ryou nudged Yugi in the side. "Pegasus himself was American, remember? It would make sense that he marketed the game over there too." 

The conversation was interrupted by an enraged yell of "Joseph Wheeler!!!" from the direction of the door. Everyone in the cafe turned to stare, and Malik cursed mildly under his breath, dispite having stopped his yami from doing the same not three minutes earlier. "I'm glad I'm not Joey right now..." 

Standing in the door was a group of three women. Two of them, Tea and Isis, looked vaguely puzzled. Mai, however, was ticked. Royally POed. Her fists were clenched at her sides, veins throbbing on the backs of her hands and her forehead. Her face was red, and black energy was almost visible around her. Ryou flinched back and put his hands to his head to sheild himself from the sheer intensity of it. 

Mai had caught Joey flirting with Amoura. 

The cafe went completly silent as Mai stomped over to Joey, stopping a few paces away to glare at him. The group from Domino exchanged slightly worried glances as Tea and Isis slipped into their seats. "Lemme guess," Tea said low enough for Mai not to hear. "Joey was flirting with Amoura?" Nods were her answer, and she winced slightly. "Poor Joey..." 

The overall silence was broken when Amoura spoke up rather timidly. "I am zorry Miz Mai, I did not know you vere Monsier Joey's girlfriend." 

"She is _not_ my girlfriend!" Joey said at the same time Mai screeched "What?! _Him_ my _boyfriend_?!?!?!" 

Amoura shrunk back further from the two, who were staring at her with mixxed looks of disbelief and rage. "I am zorry! I merely thought, zince Miz Mai reacted the vay she did-" 

"No, I'm not his girlfriend," Mai said firmly, cutting her off. "He was acting like such a jerk though, flirting with you like that. Come on Amoura, let's go sit down." And abruptly her anger was gone. She took Amoura's elbow and led her to the table, brushing by Joey with a snobbish sniff. Joey glared at her back for a moment, and then stomped over to reclaim his seat which was, 'coincidentally', as far from Mai's as possible. 

Joey growled slightly as he heard someone whisper "Lovers' tiff," behind his back. It sounded suspiciously like Bakura, but he had no proof, so he couldn't pound him. He instead glared into his coke, trying for all the world to make it burst into flames. 

Mai, meanwhile, was, on the outside, chatting happily with Tea, Isis, Gwen, and Amoura, but inside she was seething. How _dare_ he flirt with Amoura! _He has a right,_ a small voice said. _It's not like you own him or something._ Right. He wasn't hers. Check. So why did it hurt? 

"Are they _always_ like this?" Hiro asked quietly, casting reproachful glances at the pair. 

"Always," Yugi said with a sigh. "Ever since-" Ryou kicked him sharply in the leg, and Yugi bit down on the end of his sentence. Yami and Bakura sent him warning looks as well. "-Since Battle City." he finished lamely. 

Yugi had been _going_ to say "since Joey got Serenity back from the Shadow Realm", but there were obviously slight problems with saying that in front of Hiro. 

After Ryou, Joey, and Bakura had saved Serenity from the Shadow Realm, and Yami and Ishtar had turned back time in order to bring Bakura back to life three years ago, they'd all desided it was about time they let Mai in on what had been happening. She'd been the only one not involved in one or more of the adventures (if they could be called that), and it was getting harder not to talk about them around her. 

(WSJ: I'm talking about my trilogy here. SoS mainly.) 

Needless to say, Mai had _not_ taken it well. She and Joey had been sort-of going out, and as soon as Joey told her about what all had taken place in the last few months, she'd broken it off. She and Joey had been fighting constantly ever since. A couple months later, she'd confessed to Tea that the reason she'd been so mad at Joey was for two main reasons. A, she'd missed out, and no one had thought to call her until everything was over. B, Joey had risked his life, even if it was for his sister, and Mai was afraid for him. What if he'd have gotten hurt? That was what one of their first serious fights had been about, in fact. 

~~Flashback~~

"What?" Mai shreiked. "You went into the **Shadow Realm**?!? I may not know much about it, but I've been told enough by Yugi and Ryou. You could have gotten killed!" 

The whole resturant was staring at them like they were a pair of loons, but at the moment Joey and Mai really didn't care. "My sister was in trouble!" Joey countered. "I couldn't just leave her there! Not after I'd done everything else for her, like win her the money for her operation! What kind of big brother would I be then?" 

"Ha!" Mai laughed harshly. "**Won?** If I remember correctly, Yugi **gave** you that money because you were too stupid and weak to win it on your own! Big brother? Right. You wish, Joey." She'd gone too far. Mai knew that the instant she saw the wounded expression in his eyes. But it was too late to turn back now, and she stealed herself for the explosion she knew was coming. 

To her surprise, it didn't come. Joey was staring at her with an expression akin to that of a hurt puppy-dog. When he finally spoke, his voice cracked on the second syllable. "You're an only child Mai. You wouldn't understand. But I would do anything, **anything**, for Serenity. That's the one thing that Kaiba and I have in common. He proved it when he made the decision to share Mokuba's body so that Mokuba would be happy. And if he, of all people, can understand that, then I hold a grudging, semi-respect for him. But you, Mai," there was spite in his eyes now, not hurt, and sparks flew from his gaze as it boared into her own. "You don't know what it's like, to know someone you love is in trouble. Because you don't **have** anyone to love, do you, Mai?" 

"I have enough." she spat, her temper rising to meet his. How dare he try his sob-story when he'd never cared about hers? "I have money, which is more then **you** have. I have my mom. I used to think I had you." 

Joey held her gaze, neither of them backing down in the least. "No Mai, you don't," he said, raising to his feet to leave. "Not anymore." And then he was gone, leaving Mai with a feeling like someone had drawn out all her blood and filled her insides with acid. It hurt. But she'd never admit that. She didn't cry, she didn't yell or rant or wail as she paid the bill Joey had left her with and walked home. She kept on her hardened stone mask. 

At least, until she got home. 

~~End flashback~~ 

That was the scene that Tristan saw when he and his roommate Takeo walked in a few minutes later. Yugi, Yami, Ryou, Bakura, Malik, Ishtar, and Hiro were holding an animated conversation at one end of the table. Tea, Gwen, Amoura, Isis, and Mai were yakking at the other end, although Mai moved stiffly, as if on autopilot. Sitting between the two groups, Joey swirled his straw around in his drink, his chin in his hand and elbow on the table, oblivious to the rest of the world. 

Tristan sighed gustily and sat down beside Yami, and motioned for Takeo to take the remaining seat across from him. "Joey and Mai go at it again?" he asked the group of guys in general, and he received nods all around. Tristan shook his head ruefully, and then introduced Takeo Tomia, his roommate. He'd been lucky enough to get one of the few two-person rooms, as opposed to the usual three-person. 

Takeo wasn't very tall, maybe Yugi's or Ryou's height, with a head of thick, ginger-brown hair that flopped into his eyes, which were also brown. He seemed to get very irritated with his hair at times, and would push it out of his face, only to have it flop back in. He wore round, thin-lensed glasses that made him look very hansom. He was dressed in a white, long-sleeved t-shirt and black jeans with tennis shoes. 

Once everyone had greeted and introduced themselves to Takeo, Tristan shook his head sadly. "Man, Joey and Mai have been at each others' throats for years now. We've got to find a way to get them back together." 

"I agree," said Ryou, surprising the others, who looked at him strangely. He just smiled secretively. "Just because I'm blind, it doesn't mean I'm not a romantic at heart." In fact, he was even more of a romantic _because_ he was blind. His telepathic powers allowed him to sense the auras of other people, and their general feelings. At the moment, Joey and Mai were both practically shouting bitterness and regret. 

"Okay then," Yugi said slowly. "We have to get them together somehow. We're agreed?" Everyone did agree, but Bakura came up with a good point. 

"Should we ask Tea and Isis to help? They know more about Mai then any of us do. And since Isis is her roommate, that'd be doubly helpful. 

"It would." Yami said. "I'll catch Tea during classes tomorrow and ask her." 

"I'll talk to Isis tonight," Malik said grudgingly. He and Ishtar weren't really keen on playing matchmaker, but they were both tired of the constant fights and fueds. Everyone was ready for those two to make peace. 

Yugi nodded. "Good. Now, I-" 

Before anything more could be said or discussed, Gwen walked toward them with a tray piled high with food and drinks, enough for most of the table, although she'd probably have to go back for another load. As she was about to set the tray down in the middle of the table so that everyone could grab what they wanted from the proverbial smorgus-board, Joey chose that moment to come out of his trance. 

Everyone watched in sort of a facinated horror as he stretched his arms over his head, catching the bottom of the tray and flinging it upward. Gwen shreiked and dodged the food, running around to the other side of the table. She got by with only a few minor food stuffs on her t-shirt. 

Joey, however, wasn't quite so lucky. An overturned bowl of potato soup landed on his head, dousing him in its potato-y goodness. Of course, being Joey, he had no clue what had just happened. He looked so forlorn and puzzled, sitting there blinking through a curtain of soup with the bowl on his head, that Amoura began to giggle. She couldn't help it. Soon everyone else had joined it. 

"Oh Joey, I'm so sorry!" Gwen said, taking the bowl off his head. "I didn't mean to give you a potato bath!" 

Joey blinked at her, and then gave the group in general a wry smile as he pulled a chunk of potato out of his hair. "Well, at least it wasn't clam chowder. I remember the time I was gettin' chowder for me and Mai, and I tripped. It went all down the front of her blouse, and-" He stopped and cast a look at Mai, who was glaring at him full-forse. 

"And you _ruined_ it." she said. 

"Aw, lighten up Mai!" Joey said. "I bought you a new one, and I said I was sorry!" 

"Yeah, just like you're so 'sorry' that you always leave me out of every good adventure?" 

"There wasn't exactly time to call you!" Joey yelled at her. Both of them were on their feet now, leaning over the table to glare at each other. "Grow up Mai, and get over it!" 

"Get over it?! My Harpies would have been a big help, and you know it! We could have been in and out in half the time!" 

"It's dangerous in- in there." Joey said. Even in their anger, both were aware that with Takeo, Hiro, Gwen, and Amoura around that they couldn't exactly mention the Shadow Realm by name. "I wouldn't have let you go with us anyway! You could have gotten hurt!" 

"You could've too!" Mai countered. "I'm a lot stronger and tougher then you are!" 

"Are not!" Joey yelled. "Ryou wouldn't have let you go either, would you Ryou?" Both turned to look/glare at the blind telepath, who sighed and rubbed his forehead. He was beginning to get one monster headache. He just shook himself lightly and grabbed for Bakura's arm to keep himself upright. 

Bakura frowned down at his aibou, who looked pretty dizzy. He should probably take him back to the dorm. "If you'll remember right Joey, we didn't want you to go with us either," Bakura said, half supporting Ryou to keep him from falling out of his chair. "Ryou and I could have handled it perfectly well on our own. You were just too stubborn and pig-headed to stay behind. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get Ryou back to our room before he passes out and I have to carry him." 

"Passes out?!" Everyone looked dutifully alarmed, especially when they caught sight of how pale the Blind One had become all of a sudden. His faded eyes were half-lidded, and he was panting slightly as he leaned against Bakura. 

"Now you see what you've done?" Mai shot at Joey, who growled and made a retort ready, before Yami pushed in between them. 

"_Please_, you two, act like adults! Oh for the love of Ra, grow up already!" he growled, scowling at the both of them. Mai and Joey gave each other long looks, and then promptly turned away. Yami sighed, and then turned back to Bakura and Ryou, Yugi hovering worridly over them. "Is he all right?" 

"I'm not sure," Bakura confessed, chewing on his lower lip in consternation. "What's wrong Ryou?" 

"I see darkness," Ryou's voice was soft, from weakness rather then the need for no one to hear. Only Yugi, Yami, and Bakura caught his words. "I see evil Duel Monsters, ready to attack. I see Pharoah Yami, our leader. I see. . . I see me. . . I see me, ready to die to protect. . ." his voice trailed off before he could complete the sentence, and he slumped against Bakura, his eyes closed. His breath escaped him in a soft sigh, and then all was silent. 

Yugi, Yami, and Bakura were stunned to silence for a moment, stilled by Ryou's apparent prophesy. "Evil Duel Monsters. . . ?" Yugi ventured. 

"Pharoah? Me? That was five-thousand years ago." Yami added. 

Bakura's voice was hushed, scared for his hikari. "Ready to die? For whom? Me? Why would anyone be willing to die for me?" 

"Jonathon was." Yami said quietly. 

Bakura looked up to meet his eyes, and in a moment a look passed between them that Yugi couldn't begin to understand. It was a look of brotherhood, a symbol that they truly were friends, deep down, had been through so much together. It was a look that usually only appeared between Yami and Bakura and Ishtar. They were the only of their race left, and they had a right to stick together. 

"Yes," Bakura said quietly. "Jonathon was. And Jonathon did." 

When Bakura had told Yami and Ishtar of his brother's death in the Shadow Realm, all three had mourned. He may not have been a yami, or in any way connected to the Millenium Items save that he held the Ankh for a short time, but Jonathon was still an Egyptian, one of them, and they would mourn his passing. 

(WSJ: SoS people! Read SoS if you have no clue what they're talking about.) 

"Shouldn't we take Ryou to his room?" Yugi asked quietly, slightly unwilling to break the moment between the two Egyptians, but worried at Ryou's palid face. 

"Gah!" Bakura said, snapping out of his eye-lock with Yami. "Yes, by Ra!" 

"What happened?" Malik asked, bending over them as Bakura lifted his other into his arms. 

"Fainted," Yami said quickly. "I think he must have the flu or something." That had been known to happen. It seemed that when Ryou was sick, he suddenly became more prone and receptive to his visions. The pharoah cast a significant look at Malik and Ishtar, one that plainly said 'I'll tell you later'. 

"Will he be okay?" Tea asked, concerned. 

Bakura nodded at the worried girls and smiled. "He will be once I get him to bed. I think he just needs rest." 

"So I guess our dinner party's over," Tristan laughed. "Ryou's sick, and Joey needs a bath." 

"Like a dog," Ishtar couldn't help adding with a snicker. Joey glared at him, but was too worried about Ryou to do much else. 

"Need an escort?" Hiro asked. "I don't really have anyplace to go other then our room anyway." 

"Fine with me," Bakura said, shifting Ryou around in his arms. The group dispersed, the girls walking back together toward their dorm, and most of the guys to theirs. Joey ran up ahead, wanting badly for a shower, while Yami, Yugi, Hiro, and Bakura with Ryou followed more slowly. With Hiro in their midst the Motos and Bakura could not talk about what they'd heard, but after Hiro disappeared into their room, Bakura and Yami made a quick promise to meet after classes the next day. Takeo, Tristan, Malik, Ishtar, Gwen, and Tea had decided to stay a while longer at the Rec. 

Bakura put Ryou to bed, and watched over him worridly long after Hiro had gone to bed and fallen asleep, wondering about the future. 

()()()()() 

WSJ: *silently steaming* 

Ryou: *sighs* What now? 

WSJ: I. Hate. Yami!!!!! 

Yami: *hurt* Nani? 

Bakura: *chuckles* Not you. The Yami on the Dark Duelist Stories game. She's defeated him, like, fifteen times now, and he still won't let her go on. 

WSJ: I wanna duel Bakura!!! Not Yami over and over!!! 

Ryou: But SJ, how do you know Bakura is the next duelist you have to face? 

WSJ: I don't, but I have a hunch he is. And even if he's not, I get to duel Malik eventually, which I'm also looking forward to. *seethes* Stupid Yami and his stupid Change of Heart cards... And his stupid Summon Skull... And his stupid Black Luster Soldier... *continues to rant* 

Ryou: *chuckles again* Reviews please! 

Chapter 3: It's the first day of classes, and Ryou's stuck in bed, Bakura's orders. He lets his mind wander, which for a telepath isn't always a good thing... Tea, Amoura, and Gwen get rude awakenings thanks to Amoura's kitten Yunet, and go to classes grouchy. ^_^ Poor them. Yami, Ishtar, and Bakura discuss what Ryou saw, while Yugi and Tea plot to get Mai and Joey together. Tristan makes a pleasent discovery, and Malik is two inches away from blowing the head off his geometry teacher. In other words, it's a normal day in the life of our gang! =^-^= 

God bless Minna-san! 


	3. Flu Bugs on the First Day of Classes

WSJ: Okay, I have an excuse for why this is so late! I _do_! 

Bakura: *rolls eyes* Uh _huh_. 

WSJ: See! *unrolls a huge poster of a blue-haired bishonen in aviator's glasses and a Veritech flight uniform* 

Ryou: Okay, _who_ is that? 

WSJ: *grins* Maximillion Sterling, Max for short, from Robotech. *tacks poster up over her computer* I recently bought the first six novels in the Robotech series and fell in love again. Not just with Max, with the whole Robotech universe. I used to watch the anime a long time ago, but it got cut. I'd sorta forgotten until I found the novels and blew all my money on them. *sweatdrops slightly* I've been reading them non-stop. 

Ryou: Riiiiight... So where's Ying-Yang and Alex? I haven't seen them around. 

WSJ: That's the _other_ reason I haven't updated. I have no clue where they are. 

Ying-Yang: *walks in* Here we are! We've just gotten back from out honeymoon in the Voltron universe! 

Alex: *comes in behind Ying-Yang, carrying the bags* Yup. We may have only been gone a week or so in this world, but we've spent five years on the beaches of Arus. *grins* 

WSJ: Honeymoon? Five years...? *pales* Oh no... 

Without warning, a small chibi runs in and clings to Ying-Yang's legs. She's dressed in a pink dress, and her long auburn hair is held out of her eyes by a pink headband. She looks remarkably like a chibi Sonic Maid. 

Chibi-Sonic-Maid: Mommy! Is this SJ? 

Ying-Yang: *smiles tenderly* Yes dear, this is SJ, our itsuji. Introduce yourself now. 

Chibi-Sonic-Maid: *smiles sadisticly and pulls her Note-Scythe out of HammerSpace* I'm Harmony, with the emphasis on HARM! Mommy and Papa said you needed a muse for the VotH universe, so here I am! 

Alex: *nods* Yes. Our little one will now muse all your VotH-universe stories, including this one, leaving us free to give you other story ideas. 

WSJ: *gulps and backs up as Harmony's sadistic grin widens* L-lovely. Is anyone else reminded of Bakura? Or even worse, Brood's co-host, Zutsokaki? *shudders* Heaven halp me... 

Ryou: *smiles weakly* Itsuji doesn't own YGO. Hiro, Takeo, and Gwen belong to her. Amoura and Yunet are Brood's. 

()()()()() 

The Yamis of Tokyo U 

Chapter 3 -- Flu Bugs on the First Day of Classes (Rather convienient that I'm writing this _while_ I have the flu. *grumbles*) 

Hiro was awakened the next morning by a retching sound coming from the tiny bathroom that was connected to their dorm. In the next building, Amoura, Tea, and Gwen weren't awakened half so nicely, but we'll get to that in a minute. Hiro groaned slightly and rolled over to look at the clock, then sighed and decided it was time to get ready for his first class. 

Through the partially open door of the bathroom, Hiro could see Ryou leaning over the toilet, with Bakura helpfully holding his long, thick locks out of the way. After his initial fainting spell, poor Ryou'd been up most of the night getting sick. 

Hiro was dressed and ready to go when Bakura helped his stumbling aibou back to his bed. "Will you be okay while I'm at class Ryou?" Bakura was asking. Ryou nodded weakly, waving Bakura's concerns away as he settled back against the pillows. 

"If I need anything, I'll call." 

Bakura chuckled, and Hiro wondered breifly what was so funny. He shrugged it off, and then left for his advanced physics class after bidding Ryou farewell and get-well-soon. Bakura too departed, giving his aibou's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. 

Once they were gone, Ryou yawned, and leaned back, wondering what the rest of his friends were doing this morning... 

Tea, for one, was attempting to get knots out of her hair. "Does Yunet do this often?" she asked Amoura, who giggled slightly and nodded, cradling the silver tabby kitten in her lap. 

"Oui, unfortunatly. She really likez zee long 'air." 

"I can tell." Gwen chimed in dryly, running a comb haultingly through her own blond locks. 

All three women had been awaked rudely by a certain kitten making her presence known (and felt). Yunet did, indeed, have a 'thing' for long hair. She'd pounced her mistress first, waking Amoura by pawing and batting at her hair. Once the French girl had been successfully gotten up, Yunet had moved on to Tea and Gwen before Amoura could stop her. Now all three had rather substantial tangles in their hair. None of them could really be mad at Yunet though, she _was_ only a kitten after all. 

"So what's your first class of the day?" Gwen asked, cinching her hair back into a pony-tail, now knot-free. 

"English," Tea replyed at the same time Amoura said "Japaneze." They laughed, and Tea said they'd have to help each other with their homework. 

"Jinkies!" Gwen said suddenly, glancing at her watch. "I'm going to be late for physics!" 

Amoura and Tea exchanged puzzled looks. "Jinkies?" 

Gwen stopped half-way out the door, then laughed. "That's right, you guys wouldn't get that joke, would you? It has to do with an American cartoon called Scooby-Doo. It's about a dog who solves mysteries." The blond left, and Amoura and Tea exchanged glances as if to say 'Americans, go figure!' 

"I 'ad better go too." Amoura said, setting Yunet down on the bed next to her. "Are ve still going to meet at zee Rec for lunch Tea?" 

Tea nodded, gathering her own things. "Yup. You, me, Gwen, Yugi, Tristan, and Joey. I don't know where everyone else'll be, but they'll probably all wander in at one point or another. 'Cept Ryou, of course." 

"Poor R'ou," Amoura agreed, pronouncing his name 'ree-hou'. "Iz 'ee still zick?" 

Tea nodded. "Probably. He usually has fainting spells like he did last night right before he gets the flu for a day or so." 

"I may go vizit 'im later, zhen." Amoura decided as she locked the dorm door behind them. "Zee you later?" 

"Sayanora." Tea said, headed down the hall in the opposite direction of Amoura. 

Gwen arrived at her physics classroom just as Hiro did, and they walked in together. "So, do you like physics?" Hiro asked as they took seats together near the front. 

Gwen made a face. "Definately _not_. Give me a literature class over science and math any day! You?" 

"No way, I love science and math." Hiro told her. "But I like reading too. What's your favorite book?" 

"Hm..." Gwen had to think about that for a minute. "Probably _Avalon: The Return of King Arthur_, by Stephen Lawhead. But pretty much any fantasy book is game for me." 

Hiro shook his head. "Mystery thrillers for me! _The Eye of Horus_ was fantastic!" 

(WSJ: *laughs falsely* Would you believe it if I told you that _coincidentally_, those are my fav two books?) 

They were jolted from their conversation by a muffled squeak from the door. They turned to see Tristan, his eyes wide as he stared at someone behind them. He didn't even seem to notice that Gwen and Hiro were there. "Dude, what's up with him?" Hiro whispered, and Gwen shrugged. As one, they turned around, but all that was behind them were a few girls, talking and laughing with each other. 

Tristan seemed to snap out of whatever trance he'd been in, and took a step forward, one hand up as if to lay it on one of the girls' shoulders. The girl in question, a short, lavendar-haired chick, started to glance toward him, and he froze. As soon as the girl's green eyes came into view, Tristan's face broke into a wide grin. 

"Ribbon-chan!" he said excitedly. "I _thought_ it was you, Miho!" 

Miho, who had transferred away from Domino High just before Ryou had transferred in, forced herself to smile at him. "Tristan... Hi..." Miho had changed over the years, though still sporting lavendar hair and green eyes, her hair was a little shorter then it had been. She was dressed in a long black skirt and black ankle-boots, with a clingy black tanktop. A silver chain belt was wrapped twice around her slim waist. Her long, two-inch nails were painted black, as were her lips and eyes. Everything about her screamed goth. 

"Yo, Miho," one of the other girls, also very gothic-looking, asked. "Who's the chump?" 

"No one," Miho said, flicking her fingers at Tristan in a bored manner. "Just a guy I knew from high school. 

Tristan didn't seem to notice her dismissal as he all but floated to his seat, his brain somewhere up on Cloud 9. "Ah, my wonderful Ribbon-chan," he sighed happily. "I have found you again, and you will be mine..." 

Gwen and Hiro, meanwhile, just stared at him, their mouths slightly ajar. "Is he for real?" Gwen asked after a moment. 

"Either he's so in love that he's blind to what she thinks of him, or he's just plain stupid." Hiro answered. 

The two of them exchanged glances and said in unison, "He's just stupid." 

Further comment on Tristan's mental capacity was delayed as the professor entered the room, ready to start class. 

An hour-and-a-half later, first classes for the day were over, and Tea and Yugi were gathering up their things from their English 101 course. "So what'd you want to talk to me about Yugi?" Tea asked. Yugi had slipped her a note just before class started, that he'd wanted to talk to her about something important. 

"Well," Yugi said, glancing around as they exited the classroom and dropping his voice. "It's about Mai and Joey." 

Tea sighed. "Oh, those two! They are so... _frustrating_!" 

Yugi smiled. "I know. We've tried just about everything to get them to stop fighting, except one thing: a group match-maker attempt. We're _all_ going to give it a go." 

"Count me in!" Tea said enthusiasticly. "Joey and Mai should stop fighting and fall in love once and for all!" 

"Er... S-speaking of l-love..." Yugi said, looking down bashfully. "Would you like to go out to dinner with me tonight? Somewhere off-campus, I mean?" 

"Of course!" Tea said, looking delighted. "We haven't had a chance to go out just the two of us for a long time!" 

"Yup!" Yugi said, smiling happily. 

Two steps behind them, around a corner of the hallway, Mai was seeing red, and trying not to charge out there and demand an explanation from the two of them. "How _dare_ they get involved in my personnal life!" she muttered, slowly breaking a pencil she was holding in half without realizing it. "Hmph. If they want to play match-maker, I'll give them something to play match-maker about!" And with that she tossed the two ends of the pencil over her shoulder and angrily strode off to find Joey. 

Before she could locate him, however, she felt the feather-light touch on her mind that she'd come to identify over the years as Ryou checking up on his various friends. _'Hi Ryou,'_ she thought in his direction. _'Feeling better?'_

The white-haired boy's answer was sheepish. _(Yes, a little. Did I desturb you?)_

_'No, not at all! I'm between classes at the moment.'_

_(Oh, okay then, I'll leave you to your next one. Bye Mai.) _

'See ya' later Ryou.' 

Over the years, with his friends getting into trouble so often, usually because of him, Ryou had taken to checking up on them mentally whenever he had a free moment. And, at the moment, being stuck in bed as he was, keeping tabs on them gave him something to do. 

Something should probably be explained here. When a telepath like Ryou scans, probes, or otherwise peeks into a person's mind, he would encounter one of three things. The first, and most common, was akin to a 'closed door'. Ryou could search the person's mind all he wanted, and they would never know he was. If he chose, he could send them a message telepathicly, but they wouldn't be able to answer. 

(Of course, Ryou never did fully search a person's memories and thoughts. He was too polite, and not powerful enough, for that. Sometimes he would get a general reading on a person's emotions and surface thoughts, but that was about it.) 

The second thing he might find was a 'half-closed door'. The person with this sort of mind-set had enough psycic abilities to know when someone was reading them, and could converse with Ryou telepathicly. Mai had this sort of mind, as did Yugi and Bakura. 

Ryou had never encountered the flung aside, wide open 'door' that would indicate another full telepath. 

Until now. 

He had finished poking at all his friends, Yugi and Bakura saying a quick 'hi, how ya' feeling?', like Mai had. Now he was just letting himself "float" lazily over the campus, looking down idly at all the various auras moving around through the buildings and classrooms. One aura, a steel blue one, seemed to draw him, and he came closer to it. 

And suddenly Ryou was face-to-face, or, more appropriatly, mind-to-mind, with a wide-open door. 

Another telepath.

The steel blue aura seemed as surprised as he, and for a moment neither did anything. Then the blue aura suddenly shrank, hiding itself behind mental barriers so strong that Ryou wasn't even sure he'd senced another presence at all. 

Moodily Ryou withdrew himself back into his own body, laying in bed in his dorm, and reflected on what had just happened. There was another telepath at Tokyo U. But, for some reason, he'd hidden himself from Ryou. 

Ryou was ready to think further, couldn't wait for Bakura to get back so that he could tell him, but his experience had left him sleepy, and his body was demanding rest to get over his flu bugs. So, instead of staying awake to greet Bakura like he'd planned, Ryou found himself drifting off to sleep. 

At first, he thought it might be a flashback sort of dream. He and Bakura and Serenity and Joey were standing back-to-back-to-back-to-back in the Shadow Realm, their monsters forming a protective ring around them. The Flame Swordsman for Joey, Petite Angel for Serenity, Doma, the Angel of Silence in front of Bakura, and the Change of Heart guarding Ryou himself. 

But it wasn't a flashback dream. 

Ryou was watching the scene in a strangely detatched way, seperate from his body, watching the proceedings from some point away from the foursome and their creatures. Standing in front of them, about ten meters away in the shadows, stood four silhoettes that Ryou couldn't make out. 

Joey took a step forward, shoving both Ryou and Serenity behind him, and shouted something that Ryou, the real Ryou watching, couldn't hear. It was as if the Shadow Realm swallowed all sound. The Flame Swordsman leaped forward to attack, and one of the figures stepped forward to meet it. 

The figure met the Flame Swordsman's charge head-on, bringing up its own sword to knock the Flame Swordsman's out of his grasp. The figure then slashed the Swordsman across the chest, causing it to stumble back. 

To Ryou's surprise and horror, Joey went down on one knee, clutching at his chest, where a long, deep wound had suddenly appeared. Another of the figures laughed, and leaped into the air, able to either fly or levetate herself. She dove at the Petite Angel, and Serenity's eyes widened in fear. Bakura tried to bring Doma around, but he wasn't quick enough. The Petite Angel was gone, and Serenity was falling. Ryou caught her, but she was already gone... 

Ryou jerked awake with a brief scream, his face sweaty and his chest heaving as he gulped in air, wondering at how real the nightmare had seemed. But even as he tried to pin down the details, it faded from his mind, leaving only a voice, which rung in his ears. 

_Found!! Ryou Bakura, beware! You have been found!_

And then that, too, faded away. 

Ryou became aware of three familiar and very comforting presences in the room with him, all looking at him with concern. Ryou got the vague feeling that they'd been talking before his awakening had interrupted him. Just what had woken him so terrified, he couldn't remember now. 

Ishtar, his lavendar glow a pastel contrast to the other two, was sitting cross-legged on Hiro's bed. Yami, his aura as gold as the Puzzle itself, sat on the desk chair nearby. Bakura, his blue aura shining in concern, had left his seat on his own bed, and was now perched worridly on the edge of Ryou's own. 

(WSJ: Small note here. During one chapter of SoS, I got Ishtar's and Yami's aura colours mixxed up. :p Sorry. Lavendar and gold are the _correct_ colours.) 

"Aibou?" he asked. "Are you all right?" 

"Y-yeah," Ryou said after a moment and a couple more deep breaths. "I had a dream..." 

"A vision-dream?" Yami asked. "The three of us were just discussing the vision you had last night." 

"I..." Ryou paused. "I don't know. I can't remember. It might have been..." Another thought drifted past his mind, and he sat up. "Bakura! There's another telepath here! I felt him just before I fell asleep!" 

"Another psycic?" Ishtar asked, he and Yami coming to sit on the edge of Ryou's bed with Bakura. "News indeed! Do you know who he is?" 

"No," Ryou said, shaking his head. He drew his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them to make room for the three men to sit on his bed with him. "He put up mental sheilds. But I _know_ I could identify his aura again if I saw it." 

"Okay then," Yami said. "Be on the look-out. Until then, just what was it you saw yesterday in the Rec?" 

Ryou paused and thought back. "I saw the Shadow Realm, and then this huge army of dark and shadow Duel Monsters rose up out of no where. Yami," he said, nodding at the Puzzle's spirit, "Was there, but he was dressed as a pharoah." 

"You also said you were ready to die to protect someone." Bakura pointed out. "Who?" 

Ryou wrinkled his brow. "I don't know. I remember feeling protective over someone, but I don't remember who." He paused. "What time is it, by the way?" 

"Um..." Yami glanced at his watch. "About one o'clock. Which reminds me, I've got a class at two, so I'd better go." 

"Alright Yami, see ya'." Bakura said, standing up to give Yami a slap on the back. 

Ishtar had a strange look on his face, and he too stood up. "I think I'd had better go too, before that hikari of mine sends his geometry professor to the Shadow Realm." 

Yami and Bakura groaned in tandem, and then Yami smiled wryly. "I suppose it _is_ a temptation at times..." 

Bakura snorted. "Get used to it, this is only the first day." 

The four of them groaned, and the three yamis took their leave. Ryou settled back against the pillows, then flipped on some music to keep himself occupied. But it was really more for a distraction. 

He couldn't help but wonder who this telepath was, why he hadn't had any fore-warning about him, and whether he was friend, or foe... 

()()()()() 

WSJ: Phew! Chapter three, done at last! Sorry it's taken so long! And updates are going to keep taking longer too, because we've now started practice for this year's school play: _The Sound of Music_. *sweatdrops* I'm a nun... 

Ying-Yang: *looks at her, then bursts out laughing* You! A nun?! Hahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!! That's a riot! 

WSJ: Grrrrrrr... 

Alex: *sweatdrops* 

Harmony: *giggles* 

Ryou: *sighs* R&R onegai... 

Chapter 4: Amoura and Yunet pay a visit to Ryou, and Yunet immediatly takes a fancy to his long, pointy hair. *sweatdrops* The first day of classes draws to a close, and Yugi and Tea head off-campus for their date, and encounter Gwen and Hiro doing much the same thing. Tristan excitedly tells Malik about his beloved Miho, and Malik, unconvinced, goes with Tristan to follow her around all night. Joey and Mai make plans to foil everyone else's matchmaker attempts. Skip over to Domino High, where a commitee is being put together for the home-coming dance. Ishtar makes plans for a late-night "raid", and Yami wonders about whether or not he should warn the others. 

God bless minna-san! 


	4. Dinner for Two, or More

WSJ: *singing along with her favorite Point of Grace CD* ...It's all about saving grace, living love, being Jesus to those He came to save! Sharing life, and giving our own away, all about serving God, all about saving grace... 

Ying-Yang: *sulking in the corner because Alex went out with his friends instead of taking her out for Valentines* Why're you singing? 

WSJ: ^_^ Because I've gotten rid of 1/6 of my problems! At least temporarily... *sweatdrops* Elyssa's being muse-sat by ShadowWolf-sama. But on the other hand, I've gained _another_ muse. The strangest one yet. *groans* Mort, the Talking Flamethrower. Currently he and Greg, Brood's TFT, are somewhere. Dunno where. *sweatdrops again* 

Fiore: *wanders in with a bouquet of roses in one hand* {Anyone seen Elyssa? I need to give her her Valentine's present.} 

WSJ: Check over at SW's. She should be there. 

Fiore: *nods to her as he leaves* {Thank you itsuji.} 

WSJ: ^_^ You're welcome! *sighs* Fiore is by far the least troublesome of my muses... Speaking of which... *sweatdrops* 

(Cut to a scene of a bar somewhere, where Alex, Bakura, Ishtar, and Zutsokaki are playing poker.) 

Bakura: Hm... I'll see your Crunch Bar, and I'll raise you by two Almond Joy. 

Ishtar: *whistles* Too hot for my pocket! I'm out! 

Alex: *sighs* Me too. 

All of a sudden Harmony, along with Brood's two chibis, Fuu Fuu Choco Taco and Fuu Fuu Vanilla Taco, run through with all the sweets they'd won from their previous games against the guys. Unfortunately for WSJ and Brood, the three are on an immence sugar-high. 

Zutsokaki: *crosses his eyes in consternation* I knew it was a bad idea playing poker for candy... 

(Cut back to WSJ's realm, where said authoress is twitching randomly) 

Ying-Yang: *sweatdrops* Er... On to the fic! WSJ doesn't own YGO, and Amoura, Lisa, and Yunet (as well as Zutsokaki & the two Taco-chibis) are Brood's. Itsuji does, however, own Hiro, Gwen, and Takeo. 

WSJ: Ah, one last note. I recently wrote a side-story to this fic, featuring Amoura, Gwen, Mai, and Tea singing kareoke at Duke Devlin. ^^ It's called _Get Over Yourself!_ If you're a fan of SHeDAISY, or just plain don't like Duke, I suggest you take a look. 

Ack! **Important Notice!!!!!** I just realized that I totally screwed up on the timeline. I keep saying it's been three years since VotH, but that should only be two! I'm sorry!!!!! *bows multiple times* I was trying to figure out how old Mokuba and Serenity would be in relation to their brothers, and I realized that the 'three-years-after-VotH' timeline contradicts with the series. So here it is: 

Series (Duelist Kingdom/Battle City)   
VotH -- 1 year after the end of Battle City   
ASN -- 1 month after the end of VotH; 1 year, 1 month after Battle City   
SoS -- 2 months after ASN; 3 months after VotH; 1 year, 3 months after Battle City   
YoTU -- 1 year, 9 months after SoS; 2 years after VotH; 3 years after Battle City 

Again, sorry for the mix-ups. I now have this huge, complicated chart thing up over my computer that shows me everyone's reletive ages, so I shouldn't have any more screw-ups. Thanks for your patience with me! 

And if anyone has any ideas about what these guys would major in, feel free to e-mail me. Kokiri and I have been brain-storming, and we've come up with good ones for Isis, Tea, Mai, and Yami, but we're pretty stumped on the rest. Particularly Tristan and Joey. *cough* Help! 

()()()()() 

The Yamis of Tokyo U 

Chapter 4 -- Dinner for Two... Or More 

Ryou was brought out of his musings sometime around four-thirty or five o'clock PM by a quiet knock on the door. Quickly he undid the lock, and then called out "It's open!" The door swung open and the quieter of Tea's two roommates stepped inside hesitantly. What was her name? Just about all Ryou could remember about her was that she was French. She glanced around the small sitting room of the dorm, then moved to peek into the even smaller kitchen. 

"I'm in here," Ryou called helpfully. 

She jumped a little, then regained her composure and came into the bedroom, a large canvas bad swinging from one shoulder. "Bonjour. Are you feeling better Monsier R'ou?" 

Ryou grinned at the way she said his name, and senced her smiling back. Her aura was a pretty sea green color, like Bakura had described her hair to be. It glowed too, the way that only the most pure of the pure-hearted did. Serenity Wheeler's aura shone like that. So did Yugi's, and Mokuba Kaiba's. 

"Much," he replied, scooting over slightly so she could take a seat on the edge of the bed. "Forgive me, but I don't remember your name." 

He senced her smiling again. "It iz Amoura. I 'ave brought a visitor, if you do not mind 'er." 

She was reaching into the bag, but Ryou grinned, already knowing what was inside. A small kitten tumbled out of Amoura's hands and onto the bed, blinking in surprise. 

Ryou laughed and stroked the kitten, causing her to purr. "She reminds me a little of my cat at home, Socrates. Describe her for me." 

Amoura looked at him in surprise. "You cannot zee 'er for youzelf?" Then she 'eep'ed and covered her mouth in embarrassment. She hadn't ment it to come out like that! 

To her surprise Ryou laughed and nodded, causing his long white hair to bounce slightly. Amoura saw Yunet getting ready to pounce, and quickly grabbed her before she could. "Hai Amoura-chan, I've been blind for all of two years." She started to make appropriete sympathetic noices, and he shook his head, holding up his hand for her to shush. "I'm used to it, and, in fact, I rather prefer looking at the world through my heart, and not my eyes. It gives me a chance to appreciate real inner beauty." 

Amoura was caught breathless for a moment, but quickly recovered. "Oh!" was all she could say for a moment, and then, "Vell, Yunet iz a zilver tabby kitten, about six monthz old. She can be very wild at timez, and likez to play vith long 'air. Zo you might vant to vatch your own." 

"Hm... Yunet... Egyptian, isn't it?" Ryou asked. 

Amoura nodded, obviously delighted that he'd noticed. "Oui, it iz. I 'ave alvays been interested in zee ancient Egyptians." 

Ryou had to chuckle at the irony, and wondered for a very breif moment if Amoura was connected in any way to the Millennium Items. He then discarded that crazy notion. "It seems then, that we have something in common." He leaned over to the bedside table and pulled the Ring out of the drawer in front, handing it to the French girl for examination. 

Once again Amoura's breath caught in her throat. "Oh my goodnezz, R'ou, thiz lookz ancient!" 

"It is. My father is an archiologist, and he dates it from somewhere around 3000 BC. That'd be over five-thousand years ago." 

"During zee reign of zee unknown Pharoah..." Amoura breathed, obviously delighted. "Did you know zhat there iz evidenze zhat zee people back then might 'ave played Duel Monzterz?" 

Ryou had to fight hard to keep his chuckling under his breath. "Er, yes, I've heard something to that degree. Do you duel Amoura?" 

"Oui, I do." 

"I used to, before I lost my sight. Hey, maybe we should set up a college tournement or something. Out of all my friends, I can only think of two right off who don't duel, and even then they still know how." Ryou said, thinking of Tea and Tristan. 

"Zat vould be great!" Amoura said. "I 'ave not dueled since I got 'ere." 

Ryou smiled and started to say something more when he felt a tug on the back of his head, followed by a sharp jerk. He hissed slightly and reached around to where Yunet was clinging to his hair about midway up his back. "You were right about her being feisty." 

"Oh R'ou, I am zo zorry! I should 'ave kept a better 'old on 'er!" 

"Nonsence," Ryou said, setting the kitten on top of his head instead of having her hang onto his hair in the back. "I told you I liked cats." 

The outer door opened, and Ryou's face brightened further when he recognised the aura. "Konnichiwa Bakura! Classes over?" 

"For today, yes," Bakura said, walking into the bedroom. "Hiro's going somewhere for dinner, so it's just you and me." he caught sight of Amoura and Yunet and grinned. "Or maybe not. What have you been up to hikari?" 

"Nothing," Ryou said truthfully, shining innocence from every pore, causing Bakura to laugh as he plopped down onto his own bed. 

Amoura, however, was puzzled. "R'ou, 'ow did you know who it vas zat came in?" 

Ryou paniked, realizing what he'd let slip. He started a halting reply, when Bakura stopped him. "Well, you know how it is sometimes with brothers. We can just tell." Ryou nodded hesitantly, ashamed at having to lie. 

"Ah, I zee. Vell, then," Amoura stood, preparing to leave. "I zhall go. I 'ope you feel vell enough to come to clazzes tomorrow R'ou." 

Ryou smiled at her and pulled Yunet off his head, disentangling her paws from his hair. "Thank you for coming to visit me. You didn't have to." 

"I know," Amoura said, smiling as she took Yunet from him, tucking the kitten back into her bag. "But I vanted to. You are my friend R'ou. And you too, B'kura." 

Bakura started, for a moment thinking that she had called him Bekhura, his Egyptian name. But then he realised it was just her accent playing tricks on his ears, and he smiled. "I'm glad. Hope to see you again soon Amoura." 

"Oui," she said before closing the door behind her. "Me too." 

The instant that the door latch clicked shut, Bakura and Ryou were at each other's throats. "There was no need to lie to her!" Ryou said. "Why couldn't we just tell her about my powers?" 

"Because of that other telepath." Bakura countered. "We don't know who he is or what his intentions are or where his loyalties lie! He could be just waiting to betray you into the Shadow Realm." 

"Or he could just be a perfectly ordinary person with slightly more telepathic power then most!" Ryou shot back. "Why do you always connect everything back to the Shadow Realm?" 

"I _have_ to be causious!" Bakura all but shouted in his aibou's face. "One of us does! I nearly lost you twice before, and I won't let it happen again!" 

"Nearly? _Nearly?!_ Bakura, I _did_ lose _you_ to the Shadow Realm! If anyone has a reason to be worried for the other, then it's me! I can protect myself Bakura, physically and mentally. But you're not an immortal yami anymore! You can die! You _did_ once before!" 

By now the argument had escalated into a shouting match, Ryou kneeling on his bed and Bakura standing over him. Both their faces were red in anger, making the scar on Bakura's cheek stand out all the more. Ryou knew that his comment about Bakura's mortality had struck the other harshly, but he couldn't back down now. 

Bakura felt like he'd been slapped. Did Ryou have to remind him?! He thought about it all the time anyway, rued the day when he would sicken and grow old, while Pharoah Yami, still as young and immortal as ever, sat back and laughed in his face. In a way, his mortality was all Ryou's falt anyway. _He_ was the one stupid enough to get pulled into the Shadow Realm, forcing Bakura to go after him. 

Something was wrong, Ryou could feel it. The air was thick and syrupy, and his thoughts were sluggish and blurred. He'd felt this once before, but where... 

Suddenly he gasped, and his eyes widened, but Bakura, locked thoughroughly in the chains of his anger, took no notice. Ryou remembered now where he'd felt like this before. It had been two years earlier, on Halloween, when Briar-Rose had taken control of him and used him to beat Bakura within an inch of his life. 

He and Bakura were being influenced to fight with each other. 

But why? And who? Briar-Rose, the only one he'd known to use that power (besides, of course, Malik), was dead. He'd killed her himself, much as he regretted it now. 

"Bakura, Bakura!" he pleaded, shaking the last bits of the spell of himself. "I didn't mean what I said! Listen to me Bakura, you're being controlled! Please calm down and listen to me!" 

Slowly, and with Ryou's coaxing, Bakura managed to pull out of the mind-control spell and sat down with a bump, rubbing his head. "Aarg... What happened? Or rather, _who_ happened?" 

Ryou shook his head. "That's the problem, Bakura. 

"I don't know." 

Now that their voices were lowered, Ishtar and Yami, who had been drawn by the shouts and stood outside with their ears to the door, couldn't hear anything. 

"Wow," Yami said, "I've never heard Ryou and Bakura fight like that before." 

"Neither have I," Ishtar agreed, frowning. "It isn't like them." 

"Shouting's stopped." the ex-pharoah noted. "Do you think they're all right?" 

"Probably." Ishtar said, stepping back from the door and stretching his arms over his head. "Knowing those two. C'mon, let's go back to your room. Yugi and Joey aren't around, and Rex is playing techno rock in mine." The yamis shivered, still unaccustomed to the loud rock-n-roll of the modern world. 

Once they were settled, Yami on his bed and Ishtar on Joey's, Yami broached the subject he'd been meaning to bring up. "Any plans for tonight? I'm... Rather bored... No homework from the first day of classes, Yugi's out on a date with Tea, and Joey's Ra-knows-where." 

"Malik's checking out some girl with Tristan." Ishtar said, rolling his eyes. "Although Thoth only knows why he would. Tristan has the worst taste I've seen in everything from clothing to hairstyles. But yes, I do have some plans for later tonight. Would you like to help?" 

Yami hesitated, thinking of the more idiotic "plans" Ishtar had come up with in the past. Hot-wiring that Shadow Realm spell to get Ryou and Bakura out for one; turning back time to bring Bakura back to life for another. But both times Ishtar had proven true, no matter how stupid he'd seemed in the beginning. 

And besides, Yami was _really_ bored. 

"All right," the ex-pharoah said finally. "What are you up to?" 

An impish grin appeared on Ishtar's face, and Yami began to regret his decision to go along with him. "Two words, my dear, dear friend," Ishtar said, his grin now somewhere in league with the Cheshire Cat's. Yami's apprehention grew, especially at Ishtar's next words. 

"Panty raid." 

Meanwhile, at a rather large kareoke bar just off-campus, two possible targets of such a raid were having dinner. Tea and Yugi, on their way to Tea's car, had met up with Hiro and Gwen, who were also headed to dinner at the same kareoke bar, Bunnie's. They'd laughed at the coincidence, and then decided to double-date. 

The four were now sitting at a round table up near the stage, sipping wine and trying to badger each other into going on-stage to sing. The bar wasn't overly crowded, but several people had already been up on stage, including Bunnie herself. 

Tea and Gwen were both in sundresses, in honor of the hot, late-Augest weather. Gwen's was white, and her hair was pulled back into a long braid. Tea was wearing a light green one, with sandels to match. 

Yugi was in tan cargo pants and a white button-up shirt, his hair spiked up even more then normal due to the humidity. Hiro's hair was spiking as well, although rather more wildly. He was dressed in black jeans and a red and gold t-shirt. 

"C'mon Tea!" Yugi prodded her. "I want to hear you sing _Fancy_!" 

Gwen raised an eyebrow at him. "That would be Reba McIntire, right? That strikes me as more of a song _I_ would sing... Are you a fan of American country music?" 

"Well, yeah, a little." Yugi admitted. "It's better then the Arabian stuff Yami listens to." 

"Hm..." Gwen mused, flipping through the song-book, before selecting a song and handing it over to Yugi. "In that case, sing this to Tea." 

Yugi read the lyrics, and blinked. "Well... I couldn't! I can't sing!" 

"Sure you can." Gwen said, slapping Yugi on the back and almost causing him to fall out of his chair. "Everyone can sing. It's all a matter of whether or not you can sing _well_." 

"Gee, thanks." Yugi muttered, "I feel so much better..." 

"What song is it, Yugi?" Tea asked curiously, leaning over for a better view. 

"Ah ha, nothing Tea." Gwen said, pulling her back. "No fair peeking at the lyrics before he sings. Go on Yugi." 

Mumbling something about pushy women, Yugi started to get up, only to have Hiro, who'd been silent until now, get up with him. "I'll sing right after you Yugi, so don't feel to bad." 

"Oooh," Gwen said. "What're you going to sing?" 

He winked at her. "That's my little secret, Gwen dear." 

The American bristled, half-rising out of her seat. "Gwen dear? Now you listen here-" But Hiro and Yugi were already halfway backstage, and Hiro turned back to her with laughter in his eyes before blowing a kiss and disappearing behind the curtain. Gwen sat back down in a huff and crossed her arms over her chest. "Men!" 

She turned to find Tea laughing at her, and frowned. "What? Have I got wine on my lip or something?" 

Tea shook her head no, still giggling. "Are you sure you and Hiro never met before yesterday?" 

"No," Gwen said, her anger boiling away in favor of curiosity. "Why do you ask?" 

"Because this morning he asks you to dinner, and now you're fighting like an old married couple." 

Gwen frowned harder at her pen-pal turned roommate. "Baka. Hiro did _not_ ask me to dinner. He mentioned that he wanted to check out a kareoke joint he'd seen driving in, and I invited myself along, since I've never been to an honest-to-goodness kareoke bar before." 

"Sorry Gwen, I was just teasing. It's just that you remind me of Joey and Mai before they started fighting so much. I mean, they were _always_ fighting, but before it was just in play, I think." 

"I get the feeling that they've been at it for a long time. I didn't get to talk with either of them for very long last night, but it seems like they'd be a perfect couple if they'd just let themselves. What's up with them, anyway?" 

"Well..." Tea paused, trying to figure out what to tell her. "About two years ago, Joey's little sister got in some major trouble." 

"I remember you writing me about that." Gwen said, nodding. "Serenity, wasn't it?" 

"Yeah. Anyway, she ended up getting kidnapped, and Joey went after her with Ryou and Bakura. Long story short, Tristan and Isis and I all got called to help out and such, and Malik, Ishtar, Yugi, and Yami had been involved since the very beginning, but we sorta forgot about Mai until it was all over." she paused to take a sip of her wine. "That's what made Mai so mad in the very beginning. She thinks of Serenity as sort of a little sister, and was really mad that we didn't call her too." 

"It seems to me though," Gwen pointed out, "That she'd blame all of you for not calling her. Especially if Joey was out running around trying to save Serenity, and it would have been more convienient for, say, you to call her. Why just Joey?" 

Tea shrugged helplessly. "We've never figured that out. She confided in me a few months afterward that she was scared for Joey. What if he'd have gotten hurt? I told her that I felt the same about Yugi whenever he was in danger, but I never fought with him because of it. After that she clammed up to me." Tea sighed. "Then, last spring, just after our graduation and the end of Mai's sophmore year (she's two years older then the rest of us, and Isis is three), she disappeared until the middle of July." 

Gwen looked startled. "Whoa. Where'd she go?" 

"We don't know," Tea said, shaking her head again. "She hasn't told anyone, and we've all agreed not to bring it up or talk about it unless she does. But... She changed a lot in those eight weeks she was gone." 

"Really? What was she like before?" 

"Well," Tea rooted around in her purse and pulled out her wallet, displaying a group photo that'd been taken last year. "There she is, between Ryou and Isis." 

"Wow," Gwen exclaimed, taking the picture so she could examine it better. "That's Mai? Geez, her hair's so long! And it isn't streaked." 

"She didn't have her tattoo then either." Tea added. 

"Mm." Gwen handed the picture back to her and she tucked it away as the lights began to dim. Both women looked to the stage expectantly as Yugi came out for his performance. 

"There's that star, the one they said we'd never reach.   
"And just close your eyes,   
"There's the missing moon, there's the Milky Way.   
"Heaven's straight ahead, we'll be there today..." 

The lyrics were in English, but Tea caught most of what Yugi was singing. She hadn't known he knew English... Her mind drifted as he continued his song, and a slight blush drifted across her cheeks whenever he looked her way and smiled. _'He's such a romantic...'_ she sighed to herself. _'I wish I could finally make a choice between him and Yami...'_

"...There's that home, the one they said we'd never share.   
"And just close your eyes,   
"There's a picket fence, there's our mailbox,   
"Puppy on the porch and roses up the walk.   
"Shiny new minivan, kids in every seat,   
"Someday we'll look back and say it wasn't just a dream." 

Tea cast her eyes to the ground, knowing what he was trying to say to her. That he was getting tired of waiting for her to make her choice, dispite the fact that Gwen had picked the song. She fought back sudden tears, knotting her hands into the skirt of her sundress. _'It's not fair!'_ she thought. _'How'm I supposed to chose between them?! I can't!'_

"Some say we'll never get it off the ground.   
"Some say we'll never make it out of town.   
"That someday we'll end up a world apart.   
"And some say we're a couple of crazy kids.   
"And some say that's exactly what they did.   
"And I say you got to go with your heart,   
"And baby, look where we are..." 

_'Yes,'_ Tea thought bitterly. _'Look where we are. At a three-way impass. Or would that be a love triangle? Stupid midgets! Stupid pharoahs that steal my heart away!'_

Gwen cocked her head as she watched her friend, and the emotions playing over Tea's face. It was obvious she was in love, but something was wrong. Gwen'd have to ask her about it later, because Yugi's song was ending, and Hiro's was about to start. Gwen couldn't help blushing at the thought, and wondering which song he'd chosen. 

Hiro grinned at Yugi as the shorter man walked by, a smile which Yugi returned forcibly. "Good luck." 

"You did great." 

"I wish Tea would think as much." 

And then Hiro was on stage, and another English song was coming over the speakers as he looked tot he audience and found Gwen's eyes. His lips turned up in a half-smirk, half-smile as he began to sing, nearly laughing at the look of astonishment on her face. 

"Don't think that you got me girl!   
"Don't think you can tame me and change me.   
"Don't think that it's all because of you,   
"Just because I don't run around,   
"Just because we're forever together,   
"Don't you think of a four-letter word to use!" 

In her seat Gwen was almost seething. That idiot! Why would he think she'd ever fall for him anyway? 

_'Because he's nice, sweet, kind, a gentlemen,'_ a voice in her head told her. _'Because sometimes it doesn't matter whether you like the person or not before you fall in love.'_

_'Will you shut up?!'_ Gwen told it sternly. 

"Believe me baby,   
"I'm not in love.   
"No, not at all." 

Tea smiled a little as Yugi came back to his seat. "I-I try Yugi." 

"I know you do." Yugi replied. "I'll try to be patient with you." He put his hand over hers, and she looked up shyly into his eyes. 

"Arigato." 

Both caught sight of Gwen, who was alternately blushing and clanching her teeth in frustration and anger. "Hm..." Yugi noted softly. "We may have some more match-maker work to do..." 

"I slip but no, I'm not in love.   
"What if I just can't sleep at night?   
"I see your face in the starry sky.   
"The way you feel it makes it right.   
"I'm not in love..." 

"I'm not in love!" Malik nearly shouted in Tristan's face. But instead, he managed to hold his temper and said instead, "Remind me again why we're crouching outside the window to a girls' dormotory at 10 PM." 

"Because you wouldn't believe how truly beautiful my sweet, fair Ribbon-chan is." Tristan said, his feet barely touching the ground. Several times during the evening of following Miho around, Malik could have sworn he'd seen fakey-looking, red plastic hearts dancing around Tristan's head. 

"This is so humiliating..." the Egyptian muttered. "I hope no one sees us..." He breifly considered using the Rod to make Tristan go back to his dorm, and then discarded it, not knowing whether that new telepath Ishtar had told him about would be able to sence it or not. He then thought about just leaving, but then decided he'd better stay and supervise Tristan, just in case he got the notion to try and sneak into her room or something. 

"Ah, she comes!" Tristan murmered, leaning closer to the window as the dorm's door opened, admitting Miho and two of her goth friends. Malik just sighed and slumped against the wall miserably, thinking that Tristan was beginning to remind him a little too much of Tatewaki Kuno. 

A slight russling in the bushes near him caught Malik's attention, though Tristan appeared not to notice. The russling came again, closer, and a familiar voice hissed, "Psst! Ishtar!" 

Malik blinked in surprise as he peeked over the bushes to find Yami crouched behind them. "No, just me. What are you doing here?" 

"I could ask you the same," Yami pointed out. "At the moment I'm trying to get your idiot other out of here before he gets caught!" 

"Where is he?" Malik asked, a sence of dread beginning to creep over him. 

Yami pointed upward. "Somewhere on the second floor." From behind Malik there was a small yelp, followed by a thump. He turned around to see Ishtar, a bulging laundry sack over one shoulder, stepping gingerly off of Tristan. 

Malik groaned and turned back to Yami. "He's here. He just landed on Tristan's head." The blond suddenly had an idea, and grinned evilly as he turned to speak with his yami. "As soon as the lights go out in this room," he pointed to Miho's. "Raid it! Because of her, this night has been hell." he said darkly, glaring at the lavendar-haired girl, who had no idea what was going on outside her window. 

~*~ 

"So we're agreed?" 

"Much as I hate it, the only way to stop 'em from meddlin' is to act like a couple." 

"Right. But you'd better not get _too_ close dog breath, or I'll have your head!" 

"You just worry about yourself, Lady Harpie." 

"Grrrrrrr..." 

~*~ 

//Mokuba, do we really have to do this?// 

Fifteen-year-old Mokuba Kaiba, the most sought-after sophmore of Domino High, sighed as his 'inner voice' piped up. /Yes Seto, we do. I know I'm going to probably go to the dance, whether I go _with_ someone or not, so I may as well be on the commitee and make it as enjoyable as possible./ 

//Hmph.// Seto Kaiba muttered, half to himself and half to his brother. //I should be at Tokyo U with the others...// 

Mokuba sighed and continued to trot down the street toward Domino High for the homecoming dance planning meeting. The various servents had offered to drive him, but he'd declined. It was a nice night, and he needed the excersize. 

For the past several years, since Seto's soul had been transferred to Mokuba's body, the brothers Kaiba had gotten along better then they ever had. But still, as could be expected, they had their squables. Seto did have a false-form he could go into if he wanted to get away from Mokuba for a bit (which was hardly ever), but he couldn't stay in it nearly as long as the yamis could theirs. Usually an hour or so was the max time. 

Seto was, for the most part, content. He was glad he wasn't still stuck in the Shadow Realm with only Pegasus for company, and was very glad he wasn't dead. His main complaint was that he had to, in a literal sence, take high school over, instead of going to college with everyone else. 

//So who else is on this committee?// he asked. 

Mokuba shrugged mentally as he pushed open the door to Domino High's auditorium. /Dunno. Guess we'll find out./ 

Seto was looking through his brother's eyes, taking in the familiar cheap mock-leather seats and wide stage, and the group of high-schoolers, junior highers, and a few teachers and parents sitting in the front several rows. One in particular caught his eye, a head of strait black hair that was all too familiar. //Oh please Mokuba! Don't say that's-// 

At that moment, the fourteen-year-old freshmen turned in her seat, and she scowled when she saw Mokuba. She stuck her tongue out at him, then crossed her eyes and turned back to the front of the room with an impertinant toss of her hair. 

//-Lisa O'Kelly...// Seto finished uselessly. 

Lisa O'Kelly, a native of Dublin, Ireland who had moved to Japan with her family during her third grade year, was the Kaiba brother's main annoyance. She'd had a _big_ fixation with Seto, before he'd "died". Although she was six years Seto's junior, she'd had the hugest crush on him ever since she'd moved to town. She'd sobbed her heart out and refused to eat for three days when she heard of his death. 

She did _not_ get along well with Mokuba. However, she insisted on being his 'friend' because he was her 'Kebby-kun's' little brother. Seto grimaced mentally at the pet name Lisa had given him. She'd been horribly clingy, even when he was a junior and she just a fifth-grader. 

Mokuba chuckled slightly at his big brother's discomfort. /Don't worry, I don't plan on butting heads with her over anything./ 

//Yeah,// Seto said drolly. //But that's always how it ends up.// 

Mokuba shook his head as he took a seat between two of his friends, Serenity Wheeler, who was a junior, and Rebecca Hawkins, who was a freshmen, like Lisa. 

"What?" Serenity asked, raising an eyebrow at his amused expression. 

Mokuba glanced at Rebecca, to make sure she was engrossed in another conversation, which she was, and then he leaned in closer to Serenity. "Seto's being a pain again." 

//Hey!// 

Almost as if she'd heard his exclamation, Serenity laughed. "Over what?" 

"What else? Lisa." 

"Ah," Serenity pretended to smack her forehead. "I should have known." 

The door to the auditorium opened again, to admit the last few stragglers. One of them was the new ancient history teacher that the students had been talking and gossiping about all week. His hair was thick and black, pulled back into a pony-tail at the back of his neck. His skin was dark, and he was dressed in slacks and a blue button-down shirt, which is why Serenity and the Kaibas almost didn't recognize him. All three got it at the same time, blinking in amazement and confusion, especially when the caught sight of the Ankh hanging around his neck. And, of course, there was no mistaking those eyes. 

"Shaadi?" 

()()()()() 

WSJ: *cackling evilly* MWAHA! So arrive Lisa, Rebecca, and Shaadi! *laughs heartlessly* *coughs* Sorry. I, for one, can_not_ imagine Shaadi in the clothes I just described. Even trying makes me start giggling! Blah! 

Anyway, this is the longest chapter yet, and I hope you liked it! I hope to get the next one out within two weeks, but I can't promise anything with play practice. 

Chapter 5: Now that Ryou's feeling better, he, Yugi, and Malik agree to meet for breakfast at a small coffee shop that Mai and Isis say is fabulous. While there, they find a rather familiar face, and deside to play a very dirty trick. Miho, along with various other girls, find their garments missing and storm the guys dorm. Fortunately, Ishtar is out when they search his room. Unfortunately, Rex isn't. Shaadi comes to call, and Serenity and the Kaibas come along, then deside to stay the weekend at Tokyo U. 

God bless minna-san! 


	5. The Pharoah, The Theif, and the Guardian

WSJ: *grinning* 

Ryou: *backs away apprehensivly* Why do I have a horrid feeling about this...? 

WSJ: *grins wider* I'M SO HAPPY!!!!!!!!!!! 

Bakura: *snorts* About what? 

WSJ: After the last chapter, the number of people who have me on their favorite authors list has reached over 100!!! 111 in fact!!! Whee, I'm so happy! I just want to say thank you to all you readers! You've been such a huge encouragment to me, even when I haven't been updating as often as I perhaps should. *huge hugs* I love you all! 

Bakura: *yaws, very bored* Yeah yeah, let's go already! 

WSJ: *makes a face* Okay, hold your horses! I can only type so fast! 

^^ Anyway... 

Disclaimer: I don't own YGO. Amoura, Lisa, and Yunet are Brood's. Gwen, Hiro, Scott, and Takeo are mine. 

Oh yeah, Brood said to announce that she'll be gone a little while. Apparently her computer has a virus, and all her fics-in-progress got wiped. :,( Send her encouragement e-mails! We love you Brood! ^-^v *hugs* 

Hm... I am right now going to add in a dictionary sort of thing, defining all the terms, abbreviations and acronyms I use in my authoress notes. *sweatdrop* Some people have been e-mailing me, confused. So here you go. ^^ 

**Tales of the Child of Fate** -- the title of the _entire_ series, both the trilogy and the quartet, as well as YHiM and any other stories after.   
TotCoF -- **Tales of the Child of Fate**

**The Unseeing Hearts Trilogy** -- the first three stories in TotCoF.   
UHT -- **The Unseeing Hearts Trilogy**   
VotH -- _Visions of the Heart_, the first story of the series & trilogy. Takes place one year after Duelist Kingdom/Battle City. {Completed}   
ASN -- _All Saints' Night_, the second of both the series & the trilogy. Takes place one month after VotH. {Completed}   
SoS -- _Sacrifice of Shadows_, 3rd of both the trilogy & the series. Takes place three months after VotH, two after ASN. {Completed} 

**The College Years** -- stories 4-7 of TotCoF.   
TCY -- **The College Years**   
YoTU:F -- _The Yamis of Tokyo U: Freshmen_, the first of the quartet, fourth of the series. Takes place two years after VotH, three after the TV series. {In progress}   
YoTU:S -- _The Yamis of Tokyo U: Sophmore_, the second of the quartet, fifth of the series. Takes place three years after VotH, four after the TV series. {Not started}   
YoTU:Jr -- _The Yamis of Tokyo U: Junior_, the third of the quartet, sixth of the series. Takes place four years after VotH, five after the TV series. {Not Started}   
YoTU:Sr -- _The Yamis of Tokyo U: Senior_, the fourth of the quartet, seventh of the series. Takes place five years after VotH, six after the TV series. {Not started.} 

_Your Heart is Mine_ -- eighth of the series. Takes place two years after YoTU:Sr, seven after VotH, and eight after the TV series. {Not Started}   
YHiM -- _Your Heart is Mine_

**Side stories:**   
_Get Over Yourself!_ -- Somewhere between #4 (YoTU:F) & #7 (YoTU:Sr). Takes place during random time in TCY, most possibly the Freshman year. {Complete} 

()()()()() 

Yamis of Tokyo U: Freshmen 

Chapter 5 -- The Pharoah, the Theif, and the Guardian 

"Shaadi? _You're_ the new teacher?" 

Seto had, for the moment, shoved Mokuba into his soulroom and taken over, causing his brother's body to grow taller and leaner, and his eyes to turn blue and narrow. The sort-of yami was now eyeing the Guardian apprehensively. It took Shaadi a moment to realize who he was speaking to, and then he smiled. Or at least, as much as Shaadi ever smilied. 

Two years before, after Serenity had been rescued from the Second Locking Rituals, Shaadi, the Kaibas, the Wheeler siblings, the Ishtar siblings, Tristan, Tea, Yugi, and Shen Bakura, Ryou's father, had all sat down for a talk that had lasted all night and well into the next day. Ryou had been, of course, upstairs bawling his eyes out over Bakura's death, not even aware of what was going on anywhere outside his room, and Ishtar and Yami had barracaded themselves in Bakura's room to mourn in their own way. 

Shaadi and Serenity had first demanded an explanation of everything that had happened during Duelist Kingdom and what had been sensored from Battle City, a saga that helped clear a few of Shen's questions as well. Then the Kaibas' predicament had been explained at length, which was why Serenity knew of Seto being "Yami-Mokuba". After that, both sets of Locking Rituals had been gone over in detail, and the Shadow Realm had been explained to Serenity and Shen, and to Tea and Tristan, who had a much smaller grasp on it then the others did. 

"Yes," Shaadi said, taking a seat on Serenity's other side. "Is there a problem with that?" 

"No, of course not!" Serenity was quick to say. "We just didn't expect to see you here, so..." 

"Casual?" Shaadi chuckled. "Yes, I suppose it is a bit of a shock." Suddenly he grew serious, and ran a hand over the Ankh in an absent-minded manner. "Something is going to happen. Soon. Close. At Tokyo U." 

Serenity and Seto were startled into silence for a moment, and then Kaiba chuckled wryly. "It's always something..." 

Serenity was a bit more alarmed. "Joey goes to Tokyo U!" 

"I know." was Shaadi's reply. "But rest assured Serenity, I am mostly sure that the coming event does not pertain to him." Serenity breathed a sigh of releif, but Shaadi wasn't done yet. "However, it is possible that he could be caught up in it, especially if it's centered on one of his friends." 

"Ryou again?" Seto asked, just the least bit annoyed. "Why is it always the white-haired 'pity-me-I'm-blind' kid? He's a psycic, can't he take care of himself?" 

"No..." Shaadi said, shaking his head slowly. "I don't think it's Ryou. Not this time. I can't explain it. My two Millenium Items give me a feel for how energies flow to and frow in the Shadow Realm, just as Ryou's mental powers allow him to do in this world. When I feel a significant event before it happens, it usually feels something like..." he groped for an appropriete metaphor. "A tornado." 

"A tornado?" Serenity and Seto asked, chiming in with Mokuba's own unspoken question. 

"Yes, of a sort. I either feel the mouth of the tornado, pointed at the thing it will hit, as I have before. Or, I feel the narrow end, pointed at where the tornado is originating from. On rare occations, I know of both ends." 

"In English please," Seto said. "Or Japanese, as the case may be." 

"Twice before I have seen the mouth of the tornado. Once pointed at Yugi during the Duelist Kingdom, and once at the Pharoah Yami during Battle City. Once have I felt both ends, the mouth pointing toward Ryou and Bakura, and the narrow end toward Briar-Rose, during the Second Locking Rituals." 

"So what you're saying is that the narrow end is the bad guy, what's causing the tornado, or disturbance, and the mouth is the good guy, who's about to be swallowed." Seto blinked at how much Serenity sounded like her brother, but Shaadi was nodding. 

"Correct. This time, I feel the narrow end. The mouth extends too far up into the sky for me to see where it will hit, but I do not think it will be good. It's quite likely to ecclipse all of Tokyo U. Perhaps all of Tokyo. Which is why I am here. I must talk with Ryou and Isis and the yamis, see if they have felt anything at all." 

"Woah, back up!" Serenity said. "You mean the bad guy's at Tokyo U? Who?" 

Shaadi shook his head. "That's the problem," he said, unknowingly echoing Ryou's words from earlier that afternoon. "I don't know. Tomorrow is Friday, I was planning on taking the afternoon off and driving down to Tokyo." 

"Wait," Mokuba said, switching places with Seto. "You can drive?" 

There was silence for a moment, and Shaadi and Serenity sweatdropped, as Shaadi nodded. "Yes, I can drive..." 

"Oh... Well, Seto and I are coming with you!" 

"Me too." Serenity said firmly. "If it concerns Joey, it concerns me." 

"Very well then." Shaadi said, looking back and forth between the two. "We will go to Tokyo U tomorrow. Together." 

The next morning dawned clear and sunny, with Ryou feeling much refreshed and restored. Soon after Amoura's visit he'd fallen asleep, and had only woken once around nine-thirty when Hiro had come back from his dinner with Tea, Yugi, and Gwen. Bakura had stayed up reading, and had greeted Hiro on his return, so there had been no need for Ryou to say anything and he'd quickly fallen back asleep. 

Now he sat up and stretched, chuckling at the two other men still sleeping across the room. It was a good thing that Ryou was a sound sleeper, because it sounded like both Bakura _and_ Hiro snored. Ryou had already known Bakura snored, of course, but Hiro's snores filling in between the pauses in Bakura's came as a bit of a surprise. 

The white-haired man stood up and made his way to the closet, where he retreived his gi and slid it on over his boxers and t-shirt. He pulled his thick mane of hair over his shoulder and began to braid it as he walked outside, pushing open doors telepathicly as he came to them. It was early enough that no one was up yet to notice. 

There was a small meadow/feild between the guys' dorm building and the girls', which had a thick green lawn that felt great under his bare feet and was perfect for his usual early morning kata. He tied the end of his braid off with a small strip of leather just as he stepped onto the lawn. Easily Ryou fell into a fighting stance and began to move through his warm-ups with practiced grace. 

It wasn't more then twenty minutes later when he became aware that he had an audience. Most of the windows of both dorms faced the feild, and several early risers like himself were watching through their windows. Mai and Isis were in the upper storie of the girls' dorm, and Tristan's roommate, Takeo, was too, from his own room. The others he didn't know. 

Suddenly he choked, almost missing a step in the kata. That steel blue aura! The other telepath was close! But again, before Ryou had a chance to pin-point him, he hid himself under layers of mental sheilding that Ryou couldn't crack. This frustrated him, and he threw himself into his work out all the more, moving into tougher and tougher areas. He wished, fleetingly, that someone would come out and spar with him. 

He didn't notice that Takeo had moved away from the window, something on his mind and a slight frown on his face. 

Ryou finished up his kata with a round-house kick, and became aware of someone clapping from the side of the guys' dorm where he was leaning against the brickwork. Ryou smiled as he felt the familiar presence. "Good morning Yugi." 

Yugi handed him a towel as he came over to mop at his sweaty face, neck and chest. "You're really getting good Ryou. I should get you to teach me." 

Ryou chuckled and shook his head. "I don't think I've acheived sensei status quite yet Yugi. Why up so early? I thought you didn't have classes until after lunch on Fridays." 

"I don't." Yugi said matter-of-factly. "But neither do you. In fact, we both have all the same classes Friday. Psycology, zoology, and advanced chemestry." 

"Point taken." Ryou said, chuckling. "But I'm always up this early to get my morning work-out, even if I don't have classes. So what're you doing up?" 

"Malik and I were wondering if you'd like to go out for breakfast with us. I was talking to Isis last night, and she suggested this great little coffee shop just off-campus, near the kareoke bar we went to last night." 

Ryou's eyes widened in mock surprise. "Okay, that tears it! Malik's up early. Hell has frozen over!" 

Yugi laughed, leaning against the brick wall of the dorm for support. "Rex woke him up. Apparently, he's got an early class, and was running around franticly. From the way Malik described it, I'm surprised Ishtar slept through it." 

"Ishtar's asleep?" Ryou asked, surprised. "He shouldn't need to." 

"He doesn't." Yugi said. "But he and Yami are spending more and more time out of their soulrooms lately. Ishtar kinda should, since Rex doesn't know about the yamis, but when I asked Yami about it, he just muttered something about living this life to the fullest." 

"Well, whatever floats their boats." Ryou shrugged, toying with his braid. "Okay Yugi. Give me fifteen minutes to take a shower and get dressed, then we'll go. I'll meet you right back here." 

"'Kay." was Yugi's chipper reply. 

Ryou trotted back to his room, where he paused to prod Bakura awake, since he had a class to get to, and then headed for the bathroom. He stripped off his gi and pajamas, which he still had on underneith, and then turned on the hot water full blast. He got himself scalded, yelped, assured Bakura he was okay, and then turned on the cold. 

"Stupid taps..." he muttered. "Even with telepathic powers I can't tell the &^%# hot from the @*$(^# cold..." 

He took his shower, then dressed in a pair of black jean cut-offs and a red t-shirt that he'd always thought made him look girly. Ah well, Yugi and Malik wouldn't care. He tied his wet hair back into a braid, aware it would dry wavy, but not caring in the least. He slipped on some sandels, bid farewell to Bakura, and headed outside to meet his friends. 

Malik and Yugi were waiting right where Yugi had said they would be. And, to do Malik credit, he _was_ yawning. Just as Ryou reached them, the door slammed open and Rex shot out at top speed, yelling about how late he was. He didn't even notice the trio as he sped off toward the sciences building. 

"Hey," Yugi said as the trio headed for Isis's car. (Malik had only rode his motorcycle, and Ryou's car was two lots down. Besides, Malik had keys.) "I haven't gotten a chance to ask you guys yet what you're majoring in." 

"Journalism." Malik said, surprising the other two. He laughed at their stunned faces. "What, didn't expect that? Hm... Well, Isis is already majoring in archiology, and, frankly, with ancient Egypt literally sleeping across the room and down the hall from me, I don't think I could stand any more ancient cultures. Nah, I've always loved to write." 

"You mean you've always loved to hound people for all the juicey details of their stories." Yugi said wryly. 

"That too." Malik conceeded, grinning as they piled into his sister's convertable. "What about you Ryou?" He started up the car, then sat still and held up a hand. "Hold that thought. Anyone have a rubber band?" 

Ryou laughed and dug an elastic out of his pocket. "Here. I always carry a spare." 

Yugi looked downright puzzled, until Malik reached over and ruffled his short spikes, then grinned and tugged his own long hair into a pony-tail. Yugi laughed in realization, and within seconds they were out of the parking lot. 

"I'm majoring in child psycology," Ryou said, letting the wind blow against his face. "I want to run an orphanage or something after college." 

"That's great." Yugi said. "I'm majoring in business, with a minor in accounting, so I can take over the Game Shop after Grampa. Yami wants to be a game designer. A _video game_ designer no less!" 

There was a half-stunned, half-amused silence in the car, until Ryou said; "Gosh... That'd be frustrating..." 

"You mean trying to learn about computers and video games when you used to be an ancient Egyptian pharoah?" Malik asked. 

Ryou looked startled. "No, I mean trying to beat a game designed by the _King_ of Games." 

All three in the car sweatdropped at the thought, and Yugi snickered. "Maybe he and Bakura can do a colaberation or something." 

"What would they call it?" Malik asked, although he already knew what the answer was going to be. 

"Tomb Robber." all three said in unison, and then broke out laughing as Malik pulled into the parking lot of the coffee shop, which was called Ryuji's. They were still laughing as they went in and found a table near to the big glass window in front. Yugi muttered something about the bathroom and trotted off. Malik and Ryou took seats across from each other at the round table, still snickering slightly. 

"Hey, how about Kaiba and Yami working together?" Malik suggested. 

Ryou shook his head, a bemused smile on his face. "It'd never work. They'd end up with a supirior dueling game, and no technology advanced enough to run it." 

Malik chuckled, then glanced around for a waitress. It was unusual to have waitresses in coffee shops, but this one was very swanky and he was sure he'd seen a couple waitresses as they came in. One walked by, and Malik raised a hand to signal her. "Miss! Erm, waitress!" 

The woman, who was wearing a starched white shirt, black slacks and a red vest with a black apron over top, turned to them with a raised eyebrow. "You mean me?" 

"Yes," Malik said, "I'll have a-" 

"DANGEDIT!" the waitress yelled, her face turning red in anger. "I'm not a woman!!! WHY does everyone always mistake me for a waitress!?!?!?!?!" 

"It could be your hair." Another of the waitresses commented dryly as she passed by. "Now shut up and take their orders." 

Indeed, it could have been his hair, although Malik and Ryou weren't really ones to talk. The 'waitress's hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, and was jet black. A few strands had fallen out of the 'tail, and were held out of his green eyes by a black and red headband that went with his uniform. He had an earring in one ear, which was, strange enough, a small six-sided die. 

He turned to face the two hikaris, and suddenly his face lit up into a smile. "Ladies!" he said in a charming manner, sweeping over, suddenly the very picture of gentlemanlyness. "What will you have today?" 

_(Does he think we're women???)_ Ryou asked telepathicly, his face slightly alarmed. 

_'Does this clown remind you of someone we know...?'_ was Malik's answer. Suddenly they both got it at the same time. 

_(Duke Devlin!)_

Malik and Ryou hadn't had much to do with Duke during Battle City, and had never "officially" met him, thus the reason that the dice-master didn't recognise them. He had, mostly, been dealing with their yamis. They sure recognised him though, the loud-mouthed, self-proclaimed 'King of Dice', who was always trying to hit on one girl or another. 

A slow smile began to form on Ryou's face as a devious idea entered his usually-gentle mind. He set his pleading, cloudy eyes on Malik, who swore softly enough that Duke didn't hear. "I'll kill you later Ryou..." he whispered, then smiled as well. "Although... This could be fun." 

Both men turned back to Duke, offering him their most flirtatious and coy smiles. Ryou began to fiddle with his braid, and Malik giggled. Duke looked surprised, and rather pleased. "Well now, have you lovely ladies been in here before? Your gorgeous faces seem familiar to me." 

"I don't think so," Ryou said in a high-pitched, and rather convincing, voice. "I'm sure we'd remember such a gentleman as you!" 

"Do you have a name, or should we just call you babe?" Malik asked in an equally high voice. He and Ryou were on the verge of collapsing into laughter. 

"My name is Duke," Duke said, standing up a bit straiter. "Creator of the smash-hit game Dungeon Dice Monsters. Maybe you ladies have heard of it?" 

"Oh _yes!_" Malik said, pretending to be delighted. "I just _love_ that game! Perhaps you could give us some tips, Dukey-chan?" 

Ryou snorted back laughter. Dukey-chan??? He composed himself and continued to play his part in messing with the young game-master. "But Dukey-babe, if _you're_ the creator of _such_ a smash-hit game, what are you doing working here?" 

Duke looked a little sheepish and sweatdropped slightly. "It's a family thing. My parents own the place." 

"Oh!" Malik giggled. "In that case, can we get free drinks?" 

"No," said one of the other waitresses as she walked past. "Duke, stop flirting with the customers!" 

"But sis!" he whined, before pouting slightly and then turning back to the guys with a slick smile. "Where were we?" 

_"Duke Devlin?"_

Duke turned around, as did Malik, and the Egyptian almost lost his composure completly. Ryou was already red in the face from trying to hold back his own laughter. Standing nearby and looking thoughroughly muddled was Yugi. Why was Duke flirting with Malik and Ryou? 

_(Play along!)_ the comment suddenly inserted itself into his mind. _(This is funner then it looks!)_

Yugi looked at Ryou with a doubtful look on his face, but Malik winked at him. 'Trust us.' the Egyptian mouthed. Yugi shrugged, and decided that this was already too wacky to comprehend anyway. 

"Ah, Yugi Moto." Duke said, all smiles, though they were rather forced now. "Are these ladies with you?" 

Yugi choked. Ladies??? He looked at Ryou and Malik, and again Malik winked. He sighed, then gave in to the fun of tormenting another person. "Oh no Duke," he said, pretending to be shocked. "They're just friends of mine. Ryoko," he motioned to Ryou, who waved, "And Mahala." he pointed to Malik, who was suddenly trying to glare a hole through Yugi. 

_(What does that mean?)_ Ryou asked. 

_'Mahala? It's an Arabic name that means fat.'_ Yugi chuckled. 

Ryou cleared his throat loudly to cover up his snickers. "Won't you join us though Yugi?" 

Duke looked indignant, but Yugi smiled graciously. "Of course." He took a seat between Ryou and Malik, and they giggled, pretending to like him more then Duke. Duke took their orders grudgingly, and then stomped off to have them filled. Once he was out of sight, the trio all but collapsed on the table in laughter. 

"Oh that was so great," Malik said, wiping away a tear. "That was awesome!" 

Ryou snickered slightly. "Has he always been like this Yugi?" 

"Hai," Yugi said. "When he dueled Joey and Yami, he actually had a pack of cheer-leaders following him around. I have never seen anyone more full of themself then Duke Devlin." 

They calmed down and Malik and Ryou put back on their giggly airs as Duke came back with their breakfasts. "So what are you doing in Tokyo Yugi? Awful long way from Domino, isn't it?" 

Yugi nodded. "I'm going to college at Tokyo U. So are Mal-er, Mahala and Ryoko." 

They nodded at Duke, and he smiled. "Well well, I too am going to Tokyo U. I don't live on campus though." 

The four exchanged idle chit-chat for a couple more minutes before Duke's sister chased him back to work. Malik, Ryou, and Yugi finished their breakfast and then left. The moment they were safely outside, they burst into laughter again. "Priceless!" Yugi raved. "Just wait until I tell Yami! He'll have a fit!" They drove back to Tokyo U amidst giggles, and Malik parked near the dorms. 

"I have a class to get too. See you two later?" Malik asked. Yugi and Ryou nodded, and they seperated, Malik heading for his class and Ryou and Yugi back to their dorms. They were not prepared for the sight that met their eyes. 

In the front hallway of the dorm building, a pack of about ten or fifteen girls, including Miho, were yelling at Mako Tsunami and another man about something. Mako and the other man both looked about ready to run, when Mako spotted Yugi and Ryou. 

"Ah! Yugi Moto!" He said, running over, the other man just behind him. "Do you know anything about a panty raid last night?" the marine duelist looked extremely nervous, and kept glancing over his shoulder at the girls. "They want to search the guys dorms." 

Yugi gulped, frozen. Yami had told him about his late-night adventure with Ishtar. Ryou just cocked his head innocently. "Let them. It seems like a fair way to catch the culprits." 

Mako turned to him in surprise. "And you are...?" 

"Boku wa Ryou Bakura, sempai. [I am Ryou Bakura, sempai] [sempai = upper-classman]" Ryou said, bowing to the older man. "I'm a good friend of Yugi's." 

"Ah," Mako said, his face breaking into a smile as he bowed back. "Ore wa Mako Tsunami [I am Mako Tsunami]. This is Scott Anius, and we're the resident advisors." He scratched the back of his head and sighed. "Why do these things always happen to me?" 

Scott, the other RA, chuckled and shook his head. "Well, it gives us expeirience, I guess... Maybe we should talk with the girls' RAs?" 

"No good," Yugi piped up, his tongue finally thawed again. "Isis and Mai are both in class." 

Scott and Mako gave him long looks, obviously wondering how he knew the girls' RAs, but then shrugged it off. 

"How about this," Ryou suggested, "Go down the hall and knock on people's doors. If they're in, then search the dorm. If no one's there, then just pass it up for later." 

The girls liked this idea, and the first door they came to happened to be Ryou, Hiro, and Bakura's. Bakura was in, having just gotten back from his class, and he and Ryou let the girls check over their room. Saticifed, they then withdrew, and Bakura went back to studying while Ryou wandered along with Yugi, Mako and Scott, behind the girls. They checked several more rooms before they came to Yugi, Yami, and Joey's. 

Yugi pulled his key out of his pocket and opened the door so they could get inside. A moment later there was a startled yell and Joey poked his head into the hall. "Hey Yug'," he asked, annoyed. "What're all these girls doin' in our room?" 

Yugi laughed. "There was a panty raid last night, and they want their, ahem, clothes back. They're searching all the rooms." 

"Oh..." Joey said, now stepping fully out into the hallway. His eyes fell on Mako, and he grinned. "Hiya Mako. What're you doin' here?" 

"I'm your RA Joey." Mako said. "And this is-" 

"Scottie!" Joey said suddenly, looking at the other RA. 

"Er, yes..." 

"Hey Joey," Scott said, grinning. "Long time no see." 

"Not since last Christmas." Joey agreed. "Good to see you cuz'." 

"Woah, back up," Yugi said, blinking. "Scott's your cousin, Joey?" 

"Yup," it was Scott who answered. Now that Yugi and Mako were looking, they could see the semblence in the two. Both had the same dirty blond hair and narrow eyes, though Scott's were green while Joey's were brown. Both were tall and slightly built, and they were even wearing similar styles of clothes. What was obvious, though, was that Scott was at least two, maybe three, years older then Joey. 

There was suddenly a shreik from several doors down. The girls had moved on without their noticing, and had apparently found the pervert. The five guys whirled, and Yugi nearly smacked himself on the forehead when he saw which door was open. As they got closer, they heard a deep voice saying franticly "It wasn't me, I swear! I didn't do it!" 

Miho and her friend Heather came out then, followed by the rest of the girls. Dragged between Miho and Heather was none other then Rex Raptor, who was also just back from his class. His eyes were paniked. "I didn't do it!" 

"Sure," Miho said. "And that's why you had a bag of our things under your bed." 

"No! I mean, yes! I mean, I'm innocent! It must have been Malik! Or his brother Ishtar! _I didn't do it!!!!!_" 

Ryou frowned and nudged Yugi in the side. "Rex is telling the truth," he said quietly. "He didn't do it." 

"I know," Yugi said miserably. "It was Ishtar. I don't know what to do." 

Ryou blinked as he felt a familiar lavendar aura walk in the door, then freeze. "Speak of the devil..." 

Rex had seen him too. "Ishtar! Ishtar ol' buddy ol' pal! Tell 'em it wasn't me! I didn't do it!" 

Ishtar stood frozen where he was, his eyes widened as he witnessed the angry faces of the girls, the pleading gaze of Rex, the rather amused faces of Joey, Mako, and Scott, and the wary expressions that Ryou and Yugi wore. He said cautiously "Did what?" 

"There was a raid in the women's dorm last night," Scott said. "And the, erm, offencive garments were found in your room, under Rex's bed." 

Ishtar thought fast, sent a silent prayer to Osirus, and schooled his face to look shocked. "Rex, how could you do such a thing!" 

Rex, Ryou, and Yugi choked. Miho looked saticfied. "Come on girls," she said, dragging Rex kicking and screaming toward the door. She grinned evilly, and Joey, Yugi, Ishtar, Mako, and Scott involentarily shuddered. "Let's go play dress-up." Rex's screaming redoubled. You'd think he was being sentenced to twenty lashes and prison for life. 

The six men stood staring after them, and Joey whistled softly. "I never though I'd say this, but poor Rex..." 

"That was a horrible thing to do Ishtar," Ryou said, giving the yami a Look. Ishtar just shrugged and headed for his room, shutting the door behind him. Once inside he frowned and said softly "Seems I'll have to plan my next outtings a bit better..." 

For the next couple hours, Yugi, Ryou, and Mako sat around in Mako and Scott's room, telling each other stories about Duelist Kingdom or Battle City. Of course, the two hikaris left out any mention of the shadow games or their yamis. Scott and Joey lounged around Joey, Yugi, and Yami's dorm, catching up on family. 

After lunch, Yugi and Ryou bid farewell to Mako and headed off to their psycology class. And it was there that they got the surprise of their lives. 

The professor was sitting behind his desk as the two of them took seats up front. He glanced up at them and smiled, then went back to reading over his lecture. Over the next few minutes, more of the students filed in. One of them was older then the others, obviously at least twenty-two, and he walked forward to talk quietly with the professor. 

Yugi frowned and nudged Ryou in the side. "Does he look familiar to you?" 

Ryou raised an eyebrow at what was either a slip of the tounge or a bad pun. Then he said "Hm, yes. Seems to me I've felt this aura before. It's a sort of light yellow..." 

The man in question had blond hair about shoulder length, and blue-green eyes that were as narrow as a yami's. He was wearing jeans and a red and white shirt, and had a ring through one ear and heavy gold armbands, almost like Malik's, on each arm. 

"Class," the professor said, standing up. "I am Professor Hinotama, and this is my aid, Keith Howard." 

Ryou and Yugi's jaws dropped. _"Bandit Keith???"_

Keith looked startled, and looked over at them. Then he smirked and gave a jaunty wave. "Hiya twerps. Never thought I'd see you again. Is your little dog friend with you?" 

"It's none of your business where Joey is." Ryou said, at the same time Yugi asked "What are you doing here Keith?" 

"Working on my psycology degree." he said, flicking his fingers at them in a bored gesture. "Doesn't matter." 

"Keith? A psycology degree?" Ryou whispered. "That is so bizarre." 

"I know," Yugi whispered back, grinning. "Wait until Malik hears about this." 

That sent both of them to the floor in laughter. 

"By Ra!" Ryou growled later that afternoon as he stomped into the dorm's lounge room. "That must have been the longest class in the history of school!" Yami, Malik, and Ishtar were the only ones in the lounge, and Ryou groaned as he lopped down ungracefully into a chair. Yugi followed him into the room, laughing slightly. Ryou sent him a scowl that for a moment reminded both Yami and Yugi of Bakura, but it passed and Ryou too laughed. "Well? It was!" 

"I won't argue there," Yugi said, sitting down next to his yami on one of the couches. He groaned slightly as well. "Boy, this'll be a looooong year..." 

"How so aibou?" Yami asked, concerned. "Is something wrong?" 

Yugi let out a short laugh. "No Yami, nothing's wrong..." 

"Nothing except for the fact that Bandit Keith is our professor's aid..." Ryou said. 

"No way!" Malik said. "I though I drove him insane!" His smile betrayed the fact that he'd enjoyed this, to a certain extent. 

"Well, he wasn't exactly sane today..." Yugi admitted. "But a psycology degree?" 

Before more could be said, Ryou sat up and turned toward the door, smiling in surprise at the familiar auras as they approached the door. Ishtar, Malik, Yami, and Yugi turned as well, just as the door opened and Joey ushered in several very unexpected guests. 

"...Probably in here," he was saying, half-turned to talk to the man who walked in directly behind him. 

Ryou knew who it was, of course. The royal purple aura hadn't changed at all. But it took the others a moment to recognise Shaadi. He was dressed casually today too, in jeans and a t-shirt, with his glossy black hair in a pony-tail. He really looked more like an American Indian then anyone Egyptian, save his eyes, which were strange for _any_ culture. 

"Guardian Shaadi!" Yami said in surprise. "What are you doing here?" 

"There are some things I must discuss with you and the other yamis, my pharoah." he said, inclining his head slightly to the ex-king. "And Isis too, if possible." Shaadi took a step nearer, so that he was between Ishtar and Yami, and said low enough for only the two of them to hear; "Something is going to go very wrong. Soon, I fear." The two yamis shuddered slightly, afraid of what this might mean. 

Meanwhile, Joey, Serenity, and Kaiba were still standing near the door of the lounge. Ryou would never get used to the way Kaiba "felt". It was like two auras, one peach and the other tan, orbiting closely around one another. Serenity's aura, a beautiful silver-white like he'd never seen in anyone else, was standing close to her big brother's bright yellow, looking shyly around the room. 

Ryou smiled at her and took a step forward. "Konnichiwa [good afternoon] Serenity. What brings you here?" 

She shrugged one shoulder, a bit more at ease. She knew Ryou quite well. "I dunno. Along for the ride I guess. And to visit Joey." she laughed. "I know, I know, he's been gone less then a week, but I still miss him." Joey grinned as his sister socked him affectionately on the arm. 

"Have you eaten yet?" Ryou asked. "What time is it?" 

Joey glanced at his watch. "About four twenty-five." 

Ryou looked startled. "Yipes! Yugi! We've got class in five minutes!" 

"Aarg!" Yugi quickly disengaged from his conversation with Malik and Kaiba, heading for Ryou and the door. "Off to zoology I guess." 

"May I come?" 

Both men looked in surprise at Serenity, who smiled. "Could I? Would they let me?" 

"Probably." Ryou said, a smile lighting his face. He held out his elbow, and giggling, Serenity hooked her arm through his. They started down the hall, Yugi trailing behind. Joey stood staring after them with a slightly dumbfounded look on his face, his mouth slightly ajar, which only Mokuba noticed. 

~~**~~ 

The room was darkly shadowed, only a single candle, lit upon the corner of the desk, cast some feeble light. But even the flame seemed to shrink away from the shadows, as if it senced that the darkness was more then just the lack of light. 

Set halfway inside the circle of light cast by the candle was a high-backed wooden chair, finely made and upholstered in dark green velvet and black leather. The armrests curled forward and ended in swirls of dark wood, as if reaching out to ensnare any who passed by. The legs, slender and fragile-looking, ended in the same sort of swirls, these tipped by feirce lion's claws. 

Sitting in the chair, face cast in shadow, was a man. He sat easily, as one accustomed to the finer things. His legs were crossed one over the other, as were his arms over his chest. In his hands he held the crook and flail of the ancient pharoahs, one possitioned in front of each of his shoulders. Over his close-cropped brown hair rested the double-crown of Upper and Lower Kemet, or Egypt. He was dressed finely, and yet in the clothes of modern times, in contrast to the crook and flail and headdress. The candle light glinted off his glasses as he turned to face the woman standing before him. 

"You come with news, I would hope, Jalila. For your own sake." he told her in a deep voice, extending the flail toward her as a sign of peace, that she may speak. 

"I do, m'lord." she assured him, curling her right hand, stragely long-fingered, over her left breast and bowing low before him. He again extended the flail to her, and she rose, keeping her eyes cast toward his feet. "The one who has escaped us thrice before, Ryou Bakura, has been found again. This time he will not get away." 

"He'd better not." the pharoah-apparent told his flame-haired servent. "Or your blood will spill in place of his. Do not fail me Jalila, or you will join Firas and Briar-Rose." 

Jalila could not keep away the shudder that ran through her, but she bowed again as she faded into the shadows. "Yes m'lord." 

For a time after she was gone, the man sat still, staring into the candle flame as he pondered his earlier defeats, wondering what it was that had gone wrong. Then the candle went out, just as the door to the room opened and his roommate entered, as oblivious as ever. 

Gone was the darkness and shadows, the crook and flail and crown of Egypt, the elaborite wooden throne. Just Takeo, sitting innocently on his bed reading, as Tristan went about his business, unaware of what had just transpired. 

()()()()() 

WSJ: *grins evilly* Oh joy... 

Ryou: *groans* Oh Ra... 

Serenity: *eyes the chapter* Oh dear... 

Joey: *growls* Oh no! 

WSJ: *grins even more* Oh _yes_! 

Bakura: *sighs* Reviews please. 

WSJ: As usual, I don't know when the next update will be. Firstly because of play practice, and secondly because I just started a new Gundam Wing story that I'm really loving right now! It's Meiran/Wufei/Sally, AU, called _What Could Have Never Been_, if anyone's intrested in reviewing it. *gives puppy-dog eyes* 

Chapter 6: Bakura, Ishtar, Yami, Shaadi, and Isis hold a conference, trying to figure out what to do. Meanwhile, Ryou's showing Serenity around the campus. They end up at the kareoke bar from last chapter. Mai sees them there, and later has a talk with Serenity... The "pharoah" plans his first strike, and desides to go after the one that Ryou loves the most. 

God bless minna-san. 


	6. Who We Are Ment to Be

WSJ: *sniffling happily* Okay, just one thing to say. The first "chapter" of this chapter, Ryou's dream and his resulting conversations with Hiro and Bakura, are dedicated to Myotismon13's fic **Blind Guides**. Read it, love it, strangle Kaiba. Rock on. 

Bakura: *sweatdrop* You should have seen her ten minutes ago. She was bawling her eyes out! Anyway, we don't own YGO, but SJ does own Hiro, Gwen, Takeo, and Scott. Lisa, Amoura, and Yunet are Brood's. 

Ryou: Yes, I really do have a sister named Amane. She's dead. *sweatdrops* Mentioned only in one volume of the manga. 

()()()()() 

The Yamis of Tokyo U: Freshmen 

Chapter 6: Who We Are Meant To Be 

_He was standing in darkness. Not that that was anything new. But presently the blackness cleared from in front of his eyes, and he saw that he was standing ankle-deep in some sort of white mist, or maybe foam. He shuddered as he looked around him, because it was obvious he was in a graveyard. Crumbling headstones jutted through the mist every so often, along with weeds and small, spindly, barely-alive trees no taller then he was. _

He felt unexplainably drawn forward, and began to walk, his feet making no sound on the ground. At least, presuming there was ground somewhere under the mist. There was no passage of time, nor any marking of distance, save that headstones would appear out of the mist in front of him, he would walk past, they would disappear behind him, and he'd come upon new ones. 

After a time, he couldn't begin to guess how long, he saw something begin to form out of the mist in front of him. Not a headstone, something else. Three something elses. He began to run forward, but about five feet away from the somethings it was like he hit an invicible wall. An electric shock ran through him, and he was thrown back onto the ground. He lay for a moment, dazed, and then struggled to his feet, staring at the three forms with lay just out of his reach. 

Two females and a male lay bruised, beaten, and naked side by side by side, the male in the middle and the women on eather side, their faces turned inward toward him. Behind each of them was a gravestone bearing their name. 

The woman on the left looked the worst off. She couldn't have been more then thirteen or fourteen, at the very most, probably younger then that. Her pale blond, almost white hair was limp and ragged, draped around her form in a great swirl that suggested she'd been thrown there and hadn't the strength to move herself. She'd been slashed and torn all over the place, bruised and bleeding. Her lips were swollen and cracked, her eyes swollen shut. Her nose sat at an odd angle, probably broken. Her arms had been cut, her wrists slashed. Her torso had been cut as well, and her legs. What chilled the man watching for no reason he could name was the fact that the soles of her feet had been slashed as well, yet he had no name for the sense of anger that filled him at this sight, besides the pounding, red hot fury because he knew who this woman was. 

The man in the middle wasn't slashed at all, save for a deep cut across his right cheek, a stab wound over his heart, and what looked to be a bullet wound on the other half of his chest. His arms were laid over the wounds, his left wrist crossed over his right, another thing that made he who was watching angry for no viable reason. Other then that, the man lay untouched, his white hair tangled and blood stained around his shoulders. 

The second woman, on the man's right, had had her throat slit, as well as her wrists and the soles of her feet slashed. Again the sight of the slashed feet made the man watching furious. Her hair too, long and auburn, was swirled around her as if she'd been dropped. Carved into her back was a cresent moon, a star inside of it. 

The man who watched now began to beat against the barrier, headless of the shocks it gave. He had to get to them, had to reach them, had to save them... Were they even still alive? 

He stopped, and saw the rise and fall in the white-haired man's chest, saw the mist tremble before the auburn haired girl's nose and mouth. But the blond, the one he held dearest, lay motionless. As still as the graves she lay among. His heart suddenly overcome by an intence sadness like no other, he stopped his struggle against the barrier, staring helplessly at the three on the other side. 

Suddenly the mist around their bodies trembled and rose, forming itself into a figure. Cloaked and robed in black she stared down at him with intence hatred in her cold blue eyes, her flame-red hair shivering in a breeze that the man could neither hear nor feel. She held a staff in her hand, one that he'd seen somewhere before if he only had the time to think. 

But he didn't because then she opened her mouth to speak to him. 

"I am Jalila," said she, "Servent of the true_ pharoah. Did you think you could hide from us forever?" _

The man found his voice and countered her, trying to block out the roaring in his own ears and the pounding of his heart against his ribs. "You serve no one! It is I_ who know the true pharoah. And I will hide no longer! I will fight you, mark my words, I will fight you, and I will destroy you! No, I will kill you, just as I killed Firas, and I killed Briar-Rose." _

Jalila laughed harshly, pointing with her staff to the three figures she stood over. "No, I don't believe you will. Not when at any time we could kill those that you love the most. One is dead, the other two flail on the edge of a chasam. Would you sacrifice Serenity, whom you love, even if you do not yet admit it? What about Bakura, the one that you caused to be made mortal, and is now a brother to you? Would you have them destroyed, no, killed_, just so you could have your day?" _

The man's mouth had gone dry, and he again began to pound on the barrier. "No, no!_ I will not believe it!" Tears were running down his face now, but he didn't notice. "You had nothing to do with Amane's death!" _

"Didn't we?" she asked, her eyes glaring cruelly into his own. "Who caused the car to be unable to stop? Who made her suffer in agony, holding on just a few moments longer, only to die in your arms? Us! And we can and will destroy the others too. Ryou Bakura, you cannot hide from us, because we will find you. And if we cannot find you, we will find those you love, and you will come to us, because of what we will have done to them." 

"No!" Ryou yelled again, pressing his hands over his ears and shutting his eyes tight. "No, I will not believe you!" He was weeping now, and though his eyes were shut tight, the image of Serenity, and Bakura, and dear little Amane laying dying in a graveyard was forever burned into his memory. 

And then suddenly another woman stood with him, between Jalila and Ryou, her arms and wings stretched wide to protect him. As the dream began to fade, Ryou saw white feathers and black scales, and fancied that it was the Change of Heart that protected him. 

~*~ 

Ryou awoke with a start, sweat and tears running down his face in small streams. He was back in the blackness of blindness, but he could still see the three bodies laying still as death, a white mist swirling around them. He sat up in bed and pulled his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them and burying his face in them. He wept, although he tried to muffle it. Bakura is just across the room, he had to keep telling himself, and he clung to the sense of that blue aura like it was his only hope. 

Presently he felt someone sit down on the edge of his bed, and Hiro put his hand on his shoulder. "Ryou?" he whispered. "What's wrong?" 

Ryou let out a couple more shuddering sobs, raising his face to wipe the tears away with the edge of his blanket. "N-nothing Hiro, just a nightmare." Of course, what was really unsettling him was that his nightmares were rarely just nightmares. Usually they were visions, as this one had been for sure. 

"It doesn't sound like just a nightmare," Hiro said wryly. "What was it about? Sometimes it helps to talk." 

Ryou wanted to say 'Go away! You know nothing about me or my dreams! Leave me be! Go back to sleep!', but he didn't. Instead he raised his face fully and shifted on the bed so that Hiro didn't have to perch on the edge. He spread his hands out flat, palms down, on the blanket and chose his words carefully. 

"Fifteen years ago, my family was happy. Normal. Well, as normal as any family is. My parents were both archiologists, so we moved around a lot. It was on a dig in Egypt when I was five that my little sister Amane was born. We were the perfect greeting-card family, the four of us..." 

"Four?" Hiro asked, surprised. "Shouldn't that be five? What about Bakura? Was he adopted later or something? Then why do you look so much alike?" 

Ryou smiled mysteriously, although it drooped, ignored the questions, and kept going. "As a present, my father got me an Egyptian artifact. The Millenium Ring." 

"I've seen you wear it," Hiro said. "Is it really ancient?" 

Again Ryou ignored him, plowing on. "Then, when I was ten and Amane was five, Mom got cancer. We moved back to Domino City, and for awhile Dad still went on digs while Mom went to the doctor's and did chemo and stuff. And then..." Ryou dropped his face, so that his eyes were hidden in shadow. "Everything fell apart. Dad was on a dig in Israel when Mom finally died. I was only eleven, I didn't know what to do..." he was half-weeping now, and Hiro didn't know what to do, so he awkwardly put a hand on Ryou's shoulder. It was all the white-haired boy could do not to slap it away. 

"For the next month, Amane and I were forced to live like animals. I forged on the street for food, stole what I had to. Anything, just to keep Amane safe. And then, the day before Dad was going to come home, Amane ran out in front of a car and..." he couldn't finish the sentence, and his shoulders dropped. "I couldn't save her..." Ryou's voice was now weak, quiet. He turned his hands palm-up and held them in front of his face, as if staring at them somehow. "I held her, right there in the middle of the street as she died... I couldn't save her!" He balled his hands into fists and dropped them back to his lap. 

But, of course, he hadn't told Hiro the whole story. Those last few weeks had been hell on earth, literally. After Angeline Bakura had died, Bakura had often come out and beat not only Ryou, but Amane too. The reason Amane had run out into the road was because Ryou had been across the street, and had fallen because of an ankle twisted the night before from being pushed down the stairs by Bakura. 

In that moment, Ryou suddenly made a vow. He would protect Serenity, and Bakura, from whatever Jalila wanted to do to them, no matter the cost. He'd protect them all. Joey, Tea, Tristan, even Hiro and Gwen, if they got mixxed up in it. No matter what. He would save them from whatever came, just as he hadn't been able to save his dear Amane-chan. 

"Ryou," Hiro said suddenly, his voice tinged with alarm. He'd grabbed Ryou's wrist and was now examining the scars that ran up and down his arm and over the back of his hand. Some were older, much older, and some were more recent, but thankfully none of them looked fresh. "What happened here?" Suddenly his eyes narrowed. "Where _did_ Bakura come from? How were you really blinded?" 

"That is our business," said Bakura quietly from behind him. Hiro jumped slightly, and dropped Ryou's arm as if he'd been scalded. Bakura's face softened slightly, and he shooed Hiro off the bed so he could sit next to Ryou. "Go back to sleep Hiro. We'll tell you... Someday." 

Once Hiro was back in bed and snoring quietly, Bakura turned a worried face back to his hikari. "Ryou, are you okay? What happened?" 

Instead of answering, Ryou asked the question that he hoped Bakura could answer. But at the same time, he dreaded what the Egyptian theif might say. "Did it mean anything in Egypt if a woman had the soles of her feet slashed?" 

Bakura frowned, wondering why Ryou would ask. "Yes, it marks them as being adulterous, unfaithful to their husbands. It symbolizes cutting off their transport, so they won't be able to wander again." 

Ryou shuddered, his hands curling into fists again. "What about if a man was laid with his left wrist crossed over his right?" 

Now Bakura stiffened as well. "Blaspheme! The way of the gods was to lay right over left, so left wrist over right would be the highest insult a man could suffer!" He dropped his eyes. "Come to think of it, I was probably burried like that." 

Bakura hardly ever spoke of his past, so Ryou smiled in sympathy. "Oh Bakura. It doesn't matter. Not anymore." 

"You're right," Bakura said, raising his eyes to meet his hikari's sightless ones. "But why the questions on ancient Egyptian culture?" 

Ryou shivered, hunching his shoulders as if against a draft. "I had a dream," he said softly, "Jalila, apparently an enemy of ours-mine-contacted me. She said she served the True Pharoah, but I'm pretty sure she wasn't talking about Yami. And..." his breath choked in his throat, and he swallowed a sob. "And she said if I didn't make myself easy to find, she'd come after you. You and... And Serenity." 

"Why Serenity?" Bakura asked, wracking his mind for where he'd heard the name "Jalila" before. 

"I don't know! I don't know!" Ryou was shaking his head furiously, his hands curled over his ears as if to block out all sound. "Amane-chan, I couldn't save you then, and I couldn't save you again! Forgive me imouto-chan!" He was getting close to hysterical, and Bakura was getting worried. He knew that Amane was Ryou's little sister... But hadn't she died years ago? He had to find out about that dream! But first, he had to get Ryou to make sense. 

"Come on aibou," he said suddenly, getting to his feet and pulling the sobbing Ryou after him. "Let's spar. I challenge you." Together they made their way out to the courtyard. Bakura was dressed only in boxers, and Ryou in boxers and a tank top, but it was a warm night, and it made no difference. Bakura fell into a fighting stance, and, still crying and gulping back tears, Ryou did the same. 

Bakura jumped forward, swinging his arm in a punch that Ryou easily dodged. As Bakura's fist flew past the side of his head, Ryou's reflexes took over even as his brain was numbed. The telepath grabbed his yami's wrist in both hands and tossed him over his shoulder, a move meant to land an opponant on his back. Bakura, however, had been expecting that, and twisted his agile body to land on his feet. He crouched as Ryou came in for a half-hearted attack, a flurry of kicks and punches that were far too easy to dodge. 

And then Bakura sprang, grabbing Ryou by the ankle and giving him a deft twist, so that he spun in the air and landed, hard, on his back. Bakura came in and, had this been a real fight, would have finished his hikari off. But as it was, he landed his fist on the ground beside Ryou's head. He then sat back and looked at Ryou, who was still laying in the grass on his back. 

"Ryou, when we spar, you beat me eight times out of ten. What happened? You weren't even trying!" 

Ryou shuddered, curling into a ball on the ground. "I can't do it Bakura," Bakura had to strain to hear his voice. "I can't... I can't protect everyone, no matter how much I want to. I'm just not strong enough." 

Bakura lifted his hikari as easily as if he were a doll and cradled him in his lap, stroking Ryou's hair away from his face and neck, as a mother might a child. "Shh, shh," he soothed. "Who said anything about protecting everyone?" 

"I-I have to!" Ryou insisted, burying his face in Bakura's neck. "Jalila will kill you all!" 

"Aibou," Bakura's face took on a look of tenderness, but also of stern assurance. "No one person can protect all the others. I thought you'd have learned that by now. We all watch each others' backs. Joey and Pegasus and I, we made a great team in the Shadow Realm. And when Ishtar and Yami worked together to defeat Kuroi? Ryou, no one can stand alone. _No one_ is strong enough by themselves. But, as Yami is fond of saying, we will stand together, or together we will fall." 

Gradually Ryou's tears slowed and stopped, and his breathing evened out, indicating he'd fallen asleep. Bakura still sat, in the feild between the freshmen dorms in the middle of the night, his hikari asleep in his arms. A light breeze tossled his hair and he shivered. 

"Not again... Ryou doesn't deserve this." he whispered to no one. "Will he be running from the Shadow Realm all his life? And why do they want him so bad, anyway?" And then he realized just where he'd heard the name Jalila before. She had been one of the generals who had helped capture him and Joey when they were in the Shadow Realm trying to save Serenity. She'd been the Magician of Faith one, if he recalled right. 

Bakura's hand curled into a fist, and he slammed it into the ground in frustration. Then a flicker of movement caught the corner of his eye, and he blinked against the darkness. "Who's there?" A low chuckle ran through the air, and Bakura instinctively hugged Ryou closer to him. The hikari whimpered in his sleep and clung to Bakura. 

"Who's there?" asked a mocking voice from the shadows. "I am here." The voice was low, and seemed to echo in the dark all around them. "You should have listened to your hikari, Yami Bakura of the Ring. We will triumph, no matter the cost." 

"But who are you?" 

"Who am I? I am the True Pharoah." 

There was a glint of light from the direction of the boys dorms, as if starlight were reflecting off of glass. It gave Bakura barely enough warning to shove Ryou off his lap and to the side and throw up his arm for his own protection before a knife sliced right through where Ryou would have been, imbedding itself into Bakura's upraised arm. He hissed in pain, falling backward onto his back as the man holding the knife pressed forward. Bakura couldn't see anything of his face, save his eyes, which were as brown as Ryou's but with a crazed, sadistic light in them. 

"Tell Yami-Yugi this:" the man said, pushing forward with the knife and causing Bakura to yelp in pain. "Egypt died five thousand years ago, but it will rise again, this time under _my_ name. No one had better get in our way, for we will destroy them. That goes for you Tomb Robber. And your aibou." His eyes narrowed as he smiled in the darkness. "Because your aibou will fail. My powers are far superior to his, and he knows that very well. You will all fall to your knees before me. And I will have _no mercy!_" 

The last two words were shouted, and a thunderclap rocked the area. With a shock like ice water being thrown on him, Bakura fell to his side, gasping and clutching at his arm. He lay curled into a ball for several minutes as the True Pharoah's demonic laughter rang in his ears. Then he remembered Ryou, and scrambled to where he'd thrown the telepath. 

Ryou lay still, his breath shallower then it should have been. Bakura whimpered, reaching out a blood-stained hand to shake him. "Aibou... Aibou please wake up!" 

Behind him he could hear running footsteps and familiar voices. As they got closer they developed into three seperate voices, each talking earnestly. 

"...we the only ones who heard?" 

"...sense a desturbance in the Shadow Realm." 

"My _god_!" 

The last one was voiced by Ishtar as he, Yami, and Shaadi slid to a halt beside Bakura and Ryou. Ishtar bent to pull Bakura away from his hikari as Shaadi dropped to his knees and felt for a pulse at Ryou's neck. As Ishtar put his hand on Bakura's arm, it came away wet and sticky and he swore again. "Bakura's hurt. Of all the times for Ryou and his healing powers to be asleep. Hey Shaadi, wake him up already!' 

The Guardian looked up at him from his place beside Ryou, a puzzled frown on his face. "I tried and tried again Ishtar. He will not wake up." 

_"What?"_ Yami dropped to his knees hastily and spread a hand over Ryou's forehead. He then blinked and looked up, puzzled (no pun intended). "This is unlike any magic I have ever felt before. Something holds him asleep." 

"Not magic," Bakura rasped from where he was laying half on Ishtar's lap, his arm wrapped tightly in Ishtar's shirt, which the Egyptian yami had stripped off for the purpose. It was already soaked through with blood though, the knife wound ran deep. "Not magic, telepath." 

Ishtar looked startled. "You mean that other telepath attacked you?" 

Bakura nodded feebly, his eyes half-closed. "Hai. He says... He says Egypt will rise again, under his name. He'll stop at nothing. Put a telepathic block on Ryou probably. He will not wake up..." The ex-yami went limp, and the other three looked at each other in alarm. 

"This," Shaadi said slowly, "Cannot be good..." 

~**~ 

WSJ: *snickers* I _was_ going to stop it here, but I decided that since you've waited long enough for this update, I may as well give you a good one. *sighs* Evil play practice, taking away too much time from my writing... 

~**~ 

"There's nothing we can do about Ryou right now," Yami said, taking charge. For a moment, Shaadi could see a bit of the pharoah he used to be shining through. "But we have to take care of Bakura's arm. Ishtar, how bad does it look?" 

Ishtar grimaced. "Pretty bad. Looks like a knife-cut, and it's really deep. He should probably get stitches." 

"No time." Yami hissed, biting his thumb-nail in consternation. "Who can we go to who will keep this quiet?" 

"Isis," Shaadi said automatically. "She'll take care of him." 

"Right..." Yami said slowly, giving Shaadi a strange look. "To Isis and Mai's room, then." He stood up, and then stooped to pick up Ryou, who would have to come with them, awake or not. 

"Problem," Ishtar said as he hefted Bakura into his own arms. "The dorms are locked this time of night, and their room's on the second floor. How are we going to get in?" 

The three men thought about this for a moment, and then Yami said "Well... What about Tea? Her room's on the first floor." 

"Very well then," Shaadi nodded. "Let's go, Bakura and Ryou run out of time." 

The group walked to the wall of the girls' dorms, and Yami handed Ryou over to Shaadi so he could knock on Tea's window. "Tea!" he whispered feircely. "Tea!!" He saw someone moving around inside, but when the sash of the window raised, it was not Tea who stood there, but Serenity, who was staying for the weekend with Tea, Gwen, and Amoura, just as Shaadi was with Yami, Yugi, and Joey, and Kaiba was with Ryou, Bakura, and Hiro. 

The younger Wheeler sibling's eyes widened as she took in the unlikely group standing in the moonlight and pulled her nightgown a little tighter around her. "What do you want?" she asked, glancing back over her shoulder at the other three sleeping women. 

"Forgive us Serenity," Ishtar said, "But Bakura and Ryou have been attacked, and Bakura's hurt. We need to see what Isis can do for him, but we can't get to Isis unless someone lets us in." 

"Why don't you just have Ryou heal whatever it is?" Serenity asked. 

A look passed between the two yamis and the Guardian. "He can't." Yami said flatly. "Whoever attacked them sent him into some sort of a sleep with his telepath's powers, and since it's not magic, I can't defuse it." 

Serenity saw then the cradled forms of Ryou and Bakura, and her eyes widened again. "Oh kami-sama! Get to the front doors, I'll let you in." The three men hurried around the corner of the building, and a moment later Serenity let them in, a bathrobe hastily thrown over her nightgown. "This way," she whispered as she led them toward the stairs. "But be quiet." 

When the reached the RA double-apartment, Serenity knocked quietly. There was a sleepy shuffle from inside, and then Mai opened the door, looking pretty much awake. The TV behind her, which was on, indicated that she hadn't been asleep, dispite the hour. "What?" she asked Serenity, for the moment unable to see the boys. 

"Mai," Yami said, stepping into the light cast by the open door. "Please wake up Isis. We have a situation here." 

Mai's eyes widened and she backed up so that they could all get inside the dorm. Shaadi hurridly pulled the door closed after them. "What happened?" Mai asked as Ryou was laid down on the couch, Bakura in an armchair that was hastily reclined. She caught sight of the blood-soaked t-shirt wrapped around his arm and choked, her eyes widening. "What the-" 

"Oh no," 

Everyone turned to see Isis, who was standing at the door into the bedroom, her eyes widened slightly. "What happened here?" 

"We're not sure." Ishtar admitted. "But we're pretty sure they got attacked, and Bakura's hurt. Ryou got thrown into some sort of a psycic sleep. We can't get him awake." 

Isis, who was majoring in archiology with a minor in medicine, strode swiftly to Bakura and peeled the edge of the make-shift bandage away from the wound. She hissed through her teeth as she saw it. "Looks bad. Mai, get me some clean towels. Ishtar, grab one of the cotton sheets out of the closet and start tearing it into bandage-sized strips. Yami, go into the kitchen and get me some hot, and I mean _hot_ water, and while you're in there turn on the gas stove. We're going to have to use _something_ as a sterilizer. Shaadi, my sewing kit's in the bedroom next to my dresser. We're going to have to improvise here people." 

Everyone hopped to their assigned tasks, and only Mai, pausing for a minute to allow Ishtar first access to the linen closet, noticed that Serenity was kneeling next to Ryou, apparently fallen asleep with her head resting on his chest, her arms wrapped around his neck. 

~*~ 

_He was back in the graveyard, but it was different this time. The mist that rose was dark grey, and the tombstones were made of obsidian, instead of white marble. _

This was the Shadow Realm's graveyard. 

He was hanging with his arms tied over his head from a tree of some sort, his legs tied down beneath him, although they didn't touch the ground. Before him lay three coupses, and he shivered. 

One of them was obviously Briar-Rose, the evil preistess who had tried to kill him thrice before. She was still dressed in her blue and purple robes, but they were torn and bloody. Her body itself was mangled, twisted as no body should be. Ryou shuddered and turned away. 

The second was male, and was dressed in the red and black robes of a Shadow Dark Magician. His body seemed to fade in and out, as if he were on the verge of dissentigrating. Beside him lay his staff, broken cleanly into two peices, although the orb at one end still crackled faintly with electricity. Even in death, Firas was scowling defiantly. 

The third was another man, and Ryou jerked with surprise when he saw himself, or at least at first glance. As he looked closer, he saw with relief that this was not the case. This man had the same white-silver hair, but it was closer-cropped then both Ryou's and Bakura's. He was tanner, and leaner, and if Ryou had to guess, he would have also said taller. Ryou realized with a start that this was his "brother's" brother, the man he'd never met. Jonathon. 

He was still staring at Jonathon when he heard the deadly crackle behind him, and barely had enough time to duck as Firas's staff flew over his head. He craned his neck to see the Dark Magician standing behind him, his staff and body whole, and very much alive. There was something about his eyes though, they were vacant. It was almost as if the man that stood before Ryou was only a zombie. 

Ryou tried to swing away as Firas swung his staff again, the DM's face expressionless. The swing of the electricly charged staff cut Ryu's bonds, and he fell. The staff caught him across the shoulder, and he cried out in pain as the electricity rocketed through him. He fell again, and to his own disgust landed right on top of Briar-Rose. 

The preistess suddenly grabbed him, pinning his arms to his sides with a surprisingly strong grip even as he struggled. He turned his head, and her eyes were also vacant. It was like the two courpses were being possessed, since Briar-Rose's body was as cold and un-lifelike in appearance as ever, save the fact that it moved. And even with Ryou laying with his ear pressed to her breast, he couldn't hear her breathing, nor could he feel her heart beating. 

Firas approached, his face still devoid of emotion, and lowered his staff so that just the tip touched one of Ryou's ankles. He cried out as the pain coursed through him, sending tears to his eyes. Firas ran his staff up Ryou's leg and over his stomach and chest, sending waves of energy through the helpless telepath. 

He was almost unconcious with the sheer pain of it when, as if from a long way, he head a vaguely familiar voice shout something. There was a great burst of light, and suddenly Briar-Rose was no longer beneath him, no longer holding him. But in any case, he was too weak to do anything other then lay where he'd fallen and wait for the end, whatever it would be. 

He had no energy to be surprised, to wonder what she was doing here or how she'd gotten in, when Serenity dropped to her knees beside him and pulled his head into her lap, the Gyakutenno Megami hovering behind her. She had tears in her eyes as she stroked his hair and the graveyard began to dissolve around them. He had only the strength to say "That's twice you've saved my life..." and see her surprised face, before the darkness claimed him. 

()()()()() 

WSJ: Huzzah!!! 

Ryou: *warily* What now? 

WSJ: *grinning like an idiot* One of my friends traded me Harpie Lady, Harpie Lady Sisters, _and_ Petite Angel, all for my Salamandra card! ^___^ I really have no use for Salamandra, since my deck focuses on dragon and female monsters, so I'm really liking this trade! 

Ah, and another thing! My good friend Hikari NoTenshi, who posts under the name of Kage NoTenshi, has recently sent me a story to beta for her. It's extremely good, and should be posted soon! Not sure what the title is going to be yet, possibly _Zeros and Ones_; _Virtual Reality, Virtual Fantasy_, or _Just a Game_. I'll let you know for sure next chapter. But you all need to read it once it's up! It's really, really, really good! 

Chapter 7: _Now_ Ryou's showing Serenity around campus. They meet Mai at the kareoke bar, and see Isis with _who???_ They then head for the mall, where they encounter... Duke Devlin. Who _still_ thinks Ryou is a girl. ^^; Hiro demands that Bakura tell him the truth about Ryou, and how he was blinded, and where Bakura comes in. What's Bakura to do? 

God bless minna-san! 


	7. All's Fair in Love and War

WSJ: *hugs reviewers* I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!! 

Ryou: *sweatdrop* 

Bakura: Why the heck is it always ME getting hurt?!? *frowns and begins to tick things off on his fingers* In VotH I got into a fight with Ushio, ASN had me beat up by my own aibou, SoS saw me shot, and now this!!!!! 

WSJ: ^^; *politely ignores him as he continues to rant* Ah, someone asked about Ryou's father's name. It's pronounced exactly how it's spelled, Shen. In Chinese it means 'meditation', and in Egyptian it means 'sacred amulet'. *laughs at her own horrible pun* 

Bakura & Ryou: *sweatdrop greatly* 

WSJ: *coughs* Anyway... Okay, to answer another question. The reason Ryou can see in his dream sequences is because his mind wasn't affected by his blindness, just his eyes. And since he doesn't need his physical eyes in a dream, he can see. He cannot see in the Shadow Realm, however, because even though he still isn't using his physical eyes, the Shadow Realm is a physical plane, and his physical characteristics (including the damage to his eyes) are copied exactly to his body there. Does that make any sense at all? 

Ryou & Bakura: No. 

WSJ: -.-; Poor me, I thought not... WAI! I'm getting presents again!!! *pulls out kareoke book and begins to thumb through it* Hey, this is the J-Pop edition! Sugoi! *begins to absently hum "In My Words Alone"* 

Ryou: Oh dear... 

Warnings: Slight romantic fluff in this chapter. *giggles* The couples you've probably already guessed. 

WSJ: Ah yes, the fic I was talking about last chapter is called _Just a Game_. READ IT! I command you!!!!! 

()()()()() 

The Yamis of Tokyo U: Freshmen 

Chapter 7: All's Fair in Love and War 

When Ryou next awoke, he was laying in a bed, staring up at a pale blue ceiling that seemed familiar. His eyes widened, and he blinked hard. He could see, which meant they couldn't be in the real world, or the Shadow Realm. So where...? 

Slowly his memory came back, and he became aware of humming coming from nearby. He started to sit up, but let out a hiss as pain shot through him. The humming stopped, and Serenity's worried face came into view. "Ryou?" 

"What happened?" he asked. "Where are we?" 

Serenity's face grew even more worried and she sank down onto the bed beside him. "Your soulroom... I think. I-I was in the graveyard, and when I saw Firas and Briar-Rose attacking you I summoned my Megami and blasted them. Then everything went black, and we were here." Suddenly she burried her face in her hands. "Oh Ryou, what does it mean? Why have they come back?" 

"I wish I knew..." Ryou said quietly. "How did you get into my mind?" 

"I don't know..." She'd raised her head, and was now staring toward the door of his soulroom, which was shut. Ryou took the opportunity to look at her. She had pretty red-brown hair that was swept back into a ponytail, and brown eyes like Joey's. She was small for her age, which was sixteen, and stood about as tall as Tea. Her hands where they clutched at the bed sheet were slender, with long, tapering fingers. Tears glimmered in her eyes, and one slid down her smooth, alabaster cheek. 

"Serenity..." 

Ryou ignored the lingering pain of Firas's electric shocks and covered her hand with his. She turned to look at him with a start, and saw him smiling gently. Uninvited, a blush crept into her cheeks. At that first moment of skin-to-skin contact, a vision flashed through Ryou's mind, although he wouldn't understand or be able to put it into words for many years to come. For the moment it was just shards. Something white, bells chiming, a sad, pitiful cry. But as he covered her hand in his, it also triggered something else, and his smile deepened. 

"Serenity, you've saved my life twice now. First when you gave blood to save me after Ushio's torment, and now this. I owe my very existence to you." Serenity started to protest, and he shook his head slightly to silence her. "Your blood runs in my veins. And in that selfless sacrifice of yours, I think, somehow, I was forced, or maybe just able, to give something back." 

"But it wasn't a selfless act," Serenity protested. "Joey's the one who talked me into it. I-" she dropped her eyes. "I was scared." 

"It doesn't matter," Ryou said, and the tone of his voice made her look back into his eyes. "Sere', even if your mind was scared, your heart had already decided. That was back before I knew about my powers, and somehow, I think, when you gave me part of you, I was compelled to give you back a bit of me. You're not a telepath, but somehow I transferred a bit of my powers over to you. Or maybe they did it on their own. You're not a psychic. But you do have talent, almost magic. I didn't see it before because, like me, your powers have been sleeping until they were really needed. That's how you came into my mind when I most needed you." 

Serenity's eyes were wide, her lip quivering just slightly. "I-I'm like _you_?" 

Ryou chuckled dryly. "Well, you're not blind..." His eyes softened again. "Serenity, don't be scared. I'll be right behind you all the way. And," he paused. "This is the first, and probably last, time I've ever actually seen you. And, may I say, m'dear lady, you are beautiful." 

"Y-you think I'm beautiful?" 

"As beautiful as any woman I've ever seen. Even your aura shines. You're more beautiful then even my mother." He cocked his head slightly, as if listening to something Serenity couldn't hear. "I think it's time for us to go back." 

"But they, Yami, Ishtar, and Shaadi, said something was holding you asleep." 

A funny smile tugged at the corners of Ryou's mouth. "Yes, but now that you're here, we can get out together." And before he could think, before he could rationalize it and think it through, Ryou raised himself up on one elbow and captured her mouth with his. 

His soulroom door flew open, filling the room with a blinding white light. 

~*~ 

_First kiss..._

The True Pharoah's eyes snapped open in the darkness of his dorm. He sat up and slid out of bed, walking over to sit by the window and look out at the full moon, which shined a bright silver. 

'So...' he thought. 'They have found each other, my two worthy opponents... Now all three of us are discovered. Two good, one evil. Two trained and ready for war, one a novice. The Catalyst Trinity. This will make everything so much more intresting!' He laughed quietly, mindful of his roommate sleeping across the room. Not that it would have mattered, seeing as his roommate snored louder then a deisel engine and was too thick to know a villain when he was looking at one anyway. 'Somehow they have escaped the sleep I put over him. But I will get my revenge. I will.' 

The Pharoah placed his hand on the glass of the window, still laughing to himself. Yes, their love would be their downfall. Their love for each other, and their love for their friends, it would be their undoing. 

Outside thick, dark storm clouds hid the silver-white glow of the moon. 

~*~ 

"Hey, they're waking up!" 

Serenity coughed slightly as she came awake, finding herself kneeling next to the couch in Mai and Isis's dorm, her head pillowed on Ryou's chest. She sat up quickly, blushing, and pulled her arms out from around his neck. Ryou caught her hand, and gave it a small squeeze, reassuring her. 

Bakura was sitting half-awake in a chair near them, his arm wrapped in what appeared to be strips of bed sheet. Yami and Ishtar were standing on either side of him, with Shaadi farther back. Mai and Isis were right beside them, and Isis bent down to put a hand to first Serenity's, then Ryou's foreheads. "What happened? Are you alright?" 

Serenity opened her mouth, but Ryou cut her off. "I'm not exactly sure. But..." he stopped and shook his head. "I won't," he said, half to himself. "I won't get you involved. Not this time." He stood up, pulling his hand out of Serenity's. Before anyone could protest, he'd left, slamming the door after him. 

The slam jarred Bakura completely awake, and he sat up straiter. "What the hell?" 

Yami and Ishtar exchanged glances, and Mai and Isis looked slightly shocked. Serenity still crouched numbly next to the couch. What was wrong with Ryou? What had he meant, 'I won't get you involved'? Was he denying what had just happened between them? She frowned and jumped to her feet, running after Ryou. The second slam of the door was almost louder then the first. 

"I ask again, 'what the hell?' And will someone answer me this time?" No one did, and Bakura sighed deeply, wincing as he rearranged his arm into a more comfortable possition. "Great, just great..." 

Serenity caught up with Ryou at the bottom of the stairs, grabbed his shoulder and spun him around to face her. "What was that about?" she asked. "What did you mean?" 

Ryou had a defiant set to his jaw, but then it slacked and he passed a hand over his eyes. He sighed, and Serenity thought he looked older then just eighteen. "I won't let anyone else get hurt. The Shadow Realm is after me, again. The ones I love have gotten caught up in it before, and they always get hurt. You, Bakura, Yami and Yugi... I won't let it happen again. I _won't_." 

Serenity stared at him for a moment, and then flung her arms around his neck and burried her face in his chest. Ryou wasn't expecting this, and hesitantly put his arms around her. "You won't lose us." Serenity told him, though it was slightly muffled. "You think we can't fight too? Ryou, let us help!" 

"That's what Bakura said... 'We stand together, or together we will fall.' Do you mean it?" 

"Baka!" Serenity was laughing and crying at the same time. "Of course I mean it! We mean it! We'll stand by you forever. No matter what." 

Ryou smiled into her hair. "I'm glad..." 

Both of them suddenly became aware of their situation. Here they were, middle of the night, standing at the bottom of the stairs in the women's dorm in the dark. Ryou was dressed in a pair of boxers and a tank top, and Serenity in a flimsey nightgown. Both pulled away from each other, blushing. "Ryou, about earlier," Serenity started, dropping her eyes to the telepath's feet. "I'm not ready for a... a romance. I'm only sixteen, and you're-" 

"Eighteen. Nineteen next week." Ryou said. "I know." He smiled at her, and reached up a hand to brush a stray curl off her cheek. "I'll wait for you. Maybe in a year or two." 

"Hai," Serenity agreed, smiling back at him. "Maybe in a year." She began to hum absently, and Ryou chuckled. 

"I am sixteen, going on seventeen, I know that I'm naive..." Serenity sang quietly, making Ryou grin. 

"I'm no Rolf!" 

She grinned too. "Good, because I'm no Leisel." 

He leaned over and kissed her solftly on the forehead. "Good night. Tomorrow's Saturday, no classes for me. Will you allow me to show you around the campus?" 

"Sure." she dipped her head in a nod. "See you tomorrow then. Meet you at...?" 

"Ten," Ryou supplied. "I'll come pick you up." 

"Okay. Good night Ryou." 

"Good night m'lady." 

The door to the dorm Serenity was staying in closed softly behind her, and still Ryou stood staring at it until a voice behind him interrupted his thoughts. It was no surprise that it was Bakura's light blue aura desending the stairs, with Yami, Shaadi, and Ishtar behind him. 

"Funny that you'll listen to her when she tells you we'll always stand behind you, but not me." 

Ryou turned to face his yami, his expression strained. "You were right Bakura, about the telepath not being on our side. I'm sorry. I didn't mean-" 

"I know." Bakura said, patting his shoulder with his good hand. "Come on, if we're away any longer, Hiro will wake up and wonder where we've been." 

Ishtar chuckled lightly. "Malik's already awake. He's worried, and tempted to come find us." 

//I'll be there soon hikari, I promise.// 

/....If you say so Ishtar./ 

"Let's go on back to bed, Yami's already yawning." 

"Am *yawn* not." 

~*~ 

"Serenity?" Ryou knocked on the dorm door the next morning at about 9:45. To his own bemusement, he was somewhat nervous about spending the day with her, despite last night's kiss and the resulting conversation. He was wearing jean shorts and a green tank top, and his hair was pulled back into a pony-tail. 

The door was opened a moment later by an annoyed-looking Gwen, who had Yunet in her arms. The playful little kitten had been batting at Gwen's long hair, but once she spied Ryou she meowed to be let down. Ryou chuckled and took her from the American, settling Yunet onto his head. "Ohayoo Gwen. Is Serenity ready to go?" 

"Yes," said Serenity as she appeared next to Gwen. "Ohayoo Ryou." 

"Ohayoo. Off we go then. I'm not sure where though." 

"Go to Bunny's." Gwen supplied. "It's a kareoke bar just off-campus. Yugi, Tea, Hiro and I went there a couple nights ago." 

"Good idea." Ryou said, brightening up a bit. He handed Yunet back to Gwen and turned to go. "Ja." 

"Ja Ryou, ja Serenity." 

Once outside, Ryou suddenly stopped and burst out laughing. "What?" Serenity asked, confused. Ryou continued to laugh for a minute or two more, then finally calmed down, wiping a tear of mirth out of his eye. "I'm supposed to be showing you around campus," he said, still chuckling a little. "And I can't even drive." 

Serenity laughed too. "It's okay, I'll drive. I got my licence a couple months ago. Lead on, O brave guide!" 

They arrived at Bunny's a couple months later, and walked inside. They sat down at a table near the center of the room and ordered an early lunch/brunch as they made jokes about the current singer. She was tall and blond and was singing a very bad rendition of Kenny Chesney's _Big Star_. (WSJ: LOL, any guesses as to who this young woman may be? Anyone? *^_^*v) 

Suddenly Ryou groaned and dropped his head into his hands, causing Serenity to squeak in alarm. "Ryou, what's wrong?" 

Ryou shook his head. "Nothing, except that trouble in the form of a bright red aura is coming our way..." 

Serenity looked around, puzzled. "I don't see wha-" 

At that moment, someone dropped into the seat between her and Ryou, and, indeed, Serenity with her almost-telepathic powers could see a bit of a red aura hovering around him. "Him" was none other then Duke Devlin. 

"Ryoko!" Duke said, looking delightedly at Ryou. "How wonderful to see you again! Your friend Mahala is not with you?" 

_(I'll tell you later!)_ Ryou said quickly to Serenity before she could say anything. _(Play along!)_ Putting on an appropriately saddened face, Ryou shook his head. "I'm afraid not. She had some classes to get to." 

"Oh, well," Duke was obviously disappointed, but then he turned to Serenity. "Who's this?" 

"I'm Serenity." she said quickly. "You _must_ be Duke." 

"I see my reputation preceeds me." the dice-master said, preening himself a bit. 

Then Ryou got an idea. 

It was a devious, horrible, spiteful, mean, evil idea, but he liked it. 

He'd obviously been hanging around Bakura too long. 

"Duke," he said, laying a hand lightly on the other boys arm, acutely aware that Serenity was trying her hardest not to laugh. "I should have introduced you first. You see, Serenity is my girlfriend." 

Serenity sputtered and choked, but not as much as Duke did. "Y-you're... My dear Ryoko, you're _gay_???" 

Ryou smothered laughter, but didn't lie by nodding. He let Duke's horrified thoughts do it for him. A wide range of expressions flicked across the young CEO's face, and then he asked, almost in a whimper, "Your friend Mahala?" 

"Oh yes, he-I mean, she much prefers girls." 

Duke's face fell further, and he dejectedly got up to leave. Once he was gone, Ryou broke down into laughter, folding his arms on the table and laying his head on them, he was almost weeping with laughter. Serenity however, just sat there opening and closing her mouth like a startled fish. "Girlfriend?" she finally asked. 

"Well, it's not exactly a lie." Ryou said, raising his head again. "You are a girl, and you are my friend, right?" 

Serenity stared at him for a moment, then dropped her eyes to her lap, grateful that, at least, he couldn't see her blush. "Y-yeah. Now tell me the whole story, it sounds like a funny one!" Ryou did so, and by the time he was through they were both pounding the table with laughter. "Oh I wish I could have been there!" she giggled. 

Ryou wasn't listening. His head was turned to the left, so Serenity turned as well, just in time to greet Mai as she flopped down into the chair Duke had so recently vacated. "Ohayoo." 

"Morning Mai." they chorused. "What are you doing here?" Ryou added. 

Mai grinned mischeiviously. "Tailing my roommate." 

"Isis?" Serenity asked. "What for?" 

"Look," Mai pointed up to the stage, where Isis and a very familiar man were just stepping up to the mikes for a duet. Ryou's and Serenity's jaws dropped in unison. 

"_No way!!!_" 

()()()()() 

WSJ: *giggles* Who is Isis singing with? Does Duke really think "Ryoko" is gay? And what happened to the Bakura-Hiro confrontation? Find out next time on Digimon: Digital- I mean YGO: Yamis of Tokyo U! 

Bakura: *head in his hands* Ra spare me... 

WSJ: *grins* 

Chapter 8: Tea's excited. The drama department is putting on a play. The Sound of Music. Who's going to be involved? Why, everyone, of course. ^^ 

God bless minna-san! 


	8. Casting Calls and Missing Auras

WSJ: I'm so sorry this took so long!!! Between the play and writers block I've had no chance to work on this at all! *bows several times in apology* So sorry!!!!! 

Bakura: *rolls eyes* Poor you... 

WSJ: ^^ Yes, poor me... Hey! I need to advertise! Brood and I started a joint account, _Brood & WSJ: Tomodachi_, and we're co-writing a fic together, **The Case Files of Jounouchi Katsuya**. It's mystery/romance/action/adventure, centering on Jou, who's a private eye, and his rookie partner, Ryou. ^-^ The first three chapters are up (and someone's already been shot. Twice. ^o^), and we've only got about ten reviews. _Please_ just give it a chance, I promise you'll love it! *gets down onto her hands and knees* **Pleeeeease???**

Bakura: Pah, you're really pathetic... 

WSJ: *gets up and dusts herself off* I knowit. ^^v *bounces excitedly* Guess what! 

Bakura: *dully* What? 

WSJ: I went to my writing tourney Saturday, and I got 4TH PLACE!!!!!! 

Bakura: Oo; 

WSJ: ^____^ Me so happy! 4th out of some 150 students there! I'm going to the state competition!!! Thank you all for your support, prayers, and crossed fingers. It really means a lot to me. *grins* I'm sitting here staring at my trophey. I think it's a new muse for me.... Anyway, read and review please! 

Disclaimer: I don't own YGO. Gwen, Hiro, Scott, and Takeo are mine. Amoura, Lisa, and Yunet are Brood's. ^^v 

()()()()() 

The Yamis of Tokyo U: Freshmen 

Chapter 8: Casting Calls and Missing Auras 

The next morning, while Ryou was up early and singing kareoke, Bakura had slept in. Not that you could call it sleep. He'd been tossing and turning all night, trying to find a comfortable possition that wouldn't hurt his arm more then it already had been. Once Ryou had woken up he'd healed it, but it still hurt like hell. 

When Bakura finally awoke, Kaiba had left to get lunch, and Hiro was sitting at the small desk in the corner of the livingroom, pouring over his English book. Upon hearing Bakura's monsterous yawn, he turned around with a laugh. "About time you got up! What were you doing, out partying all night?" 

Bakura stiffened slightly. "N-no..." 

Hiro frowned. "Bakura, I'm your friend, right?" Bakura nodded. "Then why won't you tell me about Ryou? About your past?" 

"We don't tell you because we can't." Bakura said, frowning. "Ryou and I... We've been involved in some pretty dangerous things before. People are after us, although it's more him then me. We won't let anyone else get mixxed up in it. We _won't_." 

"Is it because of Ryou's powers?" 

Bakura choked and stared at Hiro. Then all at once he leaped out of bed and grabbed Hiro by the collar. _"How do you know about that?"_

Hiro cringed slightly, his eyes wide. "I'm not stupid, okay? Ryou's blind, but he never crashes into things. And he knows who you are when you walk up to him before you say anything. He doesn't have a guide dog or a cane, and no one leads him around by the hand. I'm surprised more people haven't noticed." 

Bakura cursed and let go of Hiro's collar. "You have to swear never to tell anyone else Hiro. Yes, our enemies are after us partially because of Ryou's powers. But not totally. There are... Other things too. Things I hope you never have to worry about." 

"It wasn't an ordinary dream that Ryou had last night, was it?" 

Bakura was silent a moment. "No. Ryou's a telepath, a psychic, if you will. Sometimes he can 'see' things before they happen, which I am very afraid is what happened last night." 

"Was it a bad dream then?" 

"Hai Hiro, a nightmare." 

~*~ 

"Are you serious?!" Malik stared at Ryou, wide-eyed. "My sister was _singing_?! A duet with _Shaadi_, of all people?!?" 

Ryou laughed. "Yes Malik, I'm serious! Isis and Shaadi were up on stage, singing! And it actually wasn't a duet. Isis sang Shania Twain's _Up_ and then Shaadi sang Toby Keith's _Rock You Baby_." 

Malik's eyes widened further before he collapsed into laughter. "That's-" he gasped. "That's incredable! Shaadi actually sang _Rock You Baby_?!" He fell over laughing again. 

Ryou and Malik were sitting in the dorm lounge, sipping sodas and talking. No one else was around, some had classes. Malik and Ryou were two of the 'blessed' few who had no classes on Saturdays. Malik, having only just gotten out of bed, was in sweatpants and a tank-top, attempting to run a comb through his long hair. Ryou was in the same out fit from his kareoke adventure with Serenity. 

"So," Malik asked, his laughter dwindling to a smirk. "Did you or Serenity get up there and sing anything?" 

Ryou looked down, trying to hide his blush from his friend. "Well..." 

"Come on Ry', out with it!" 

"....Serenity convinced me to get up there with her and sing a duet of _Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde_..." 

Malik choked and began laughing again. "Now why does that just fit you two so well?" 

"Actually, I think it fits Joey and Mai more then it fits me and Serenity." 

Malik stopped chuckling and stared at him oddly. "You know... it does." 

The days passed and turned into weeks, and things returned to some semblence of normality. Serenity, Kaiba, and Shaadi went back to Domino, and everyone else returned to classes. Joey and Mai hadn't forgotten their ploy to hold off the would-be matchmakers, but as Yugi and the others hadn't made a move yet, there had been no call for the two to act as a couple. Ryou celebrated his nineteenth birthday on September the second, and everyone threw him a party. The anneversery of the Locking Rituals came and went with little acknowledgement, but it was on everyone's minds. 

Malik's nineteenth birthday and Halloween left with October, the former with another party and the latter thankfully without any incident. Well, mostly no incident. Ryou, Yugi, and Malik were all three haunted with dreams that night, as was another man. But they would not know him for several years to come. 

Hiro mentioned no more about what he had pried out of Bakura, and if he had any further suspicions he didn't voice them. He wasn't able to keep his mouth shut to Gwen, however, but she said nothing and knew no more then Hiro did. The two of them were quickly becoming a couple, dispite the fact that Gwen continued to claim she wasn't in love. Of course, her two roommates knew better. 

It was the middle of November, quickly approaching mid-term exams, when Tea burst into the dorm, her face flushed and breathless. The weather was quickly turning cooler, and she was dressed in a black skirt, black boots and a rust-coloured sweater, with a red and green plaid scarf around her neck and her fly-away hair in a pony-tail. 

Gwen and Amoura looked up from where they was flipping through some American magazine on the bed. "Are you okay Tea?" Gwen asked, leaving the magazine lay as she sat up. 

"Fine! Wonderful!" Tea said, grinning. "Auditions for the play are going to be next week!" 

There was silence a moment, until Amoura tentatively said "Vhat play?" 

"The Sound of Music." Tea said, still grinning widely. "I can't wait to audition!!! I hope I get a part with lots of dancing." 

Amoura and Gwen looked at each other with shared looks of apprehension on their faces. 

Ah, the joys of rooming with an actress. 

The next week passed in a blur as the time of the try-outs neared. Practically everyone was going out for some part, save Ryou and Malik. But the two came along for moral support for the others and crammed themselves into the already packed auditorium. The noice was deafening, and it took the director on the stage several minutes to get everyone to calm down enough so that they could hear her. She told everyone that a few of the possitions had already been cast, because some students from Domino High had been selected to help out, even though this was a college play. It was then that (of course) Serenity Wheeler, Mokuba Kaiba, Lisa O'Kelly, and Rebecca Hawkins stepped out from backstage amidst applause. 

The director announced their names, and they each stepped forward and told who they were going to play. Rebecca, who was shorter then Lisa despite being older, would play Marta Von Trapp, the seven-year-old who was second-youngest. Lisa was Brigitta, the stuck-up nine-year-old. Mokuba would play Kurt, the super-shy ten-year-old, and Serenity would be Leisel, the in-love-with-a-Nazi sixteen-year-old. 

"Betcha you're regretting not trying out now, eh Ryou?" Malik whispered, poking his friend in the side. "You sure would have made a good Rolf to her Leisel." 

"Cut it out," Ryou hissed back, jabbing an elbow into his friend's side. Malik just leaned out of hitting range and snickered. 

From then the auditions went pretty smoothly, all everyone had to do was sing a song of their choice, and then read a short monologue that the director provided. Surprisingly, Hiro was very good with his rendition of _Eidleweiss_, and Scott and Joey wowed the crowd with their version of _No Way To Stop It_. Mai, Gwen, and Tea sang trio on _Lonely Goatherd_, and Yami set his friends laughing by purposely messing the lines of _Do Re Mi_ so that he could sing "do Ra mi" instead. 

But the best part of all came when Bakura, Ishtar, and, of all people, Kaiba stepped onto stage. Right away Yugi could tell that it was Seto, not Mokuba, by his cocky grin and long stride. But why those three unlikely people could be up there he had no idea. Unless... 

Yugi proved to be right. As soon as the music for _How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria_ started, he began to snicker, and after a moment Joey realized what the three on stage were doing too. Unfortunately (or fortunately), Yami had no suspisions until Bakura turned toward the other two and began to sing as if he was just holding a conference with them. 

"How should we solve the problem of the Pharoah? Can't we just find a knife and cut him down?" 

Yami's jaw dropped and Yugi burst into full-fledged laughter as Seto took up the next lines, though it looked a bit strange for Mokuba's body to be singing them. 

"How can we find a word that means the Pharoah...?" 

"A fellahin!" That was Bakura, helpfully suggesting the Egyptian word for 'peasent'. 

"A pain-in-the-butt!" Ishtar spoke up, trying not to laugh. His aibou was already hooting through the mind-link, and it was all the Rod Spirit could do to keep from cracking up himself. 

"A dog." 

This suggestion, obviously Seto's, sent Joey to the floor in laughter, since it was for once not directed at him. Yami just sat with a look on his face that resembled that of a startled fish. Snickering to himself, Ishtar took up the next set of altered lyrics. 

"Many a time you know you'd like to stab him, many a time he ought to have died away!" 

Kaiba spoke up next. "So how should we do away with all of his meddlesome play?" 

"Can't we just bury him underneith the sand?" Ever the Egyptian at heart, Bakura was true to his roots. Har har har. 

"Oh how should we solve the problem of the Pharoah...?" 

The music dropped, and the three men sang the last line a capella, grinning like the idiots they were the entire time. 

"Why can't we just stab him in... the... back...?" 

As soon as the last note died, Yami jumped out of his seat and ran toward the stage, a look of barely controlled rage on his face. Snickering, the three conspirators ran back stage, and with a shout Yami followed. Silence reigned in the auditorium as various yells, curses (both Egyptian and Japanese), and crashes could be heard, followed by the opening of the backstage door, signaling that they were sencibly taking their fight outside. 

After a moment, Joey leaned toward Yugi (who was grinning). "Are they all right?" 

"Hai," Yugi said, unable to keep the amusement out of his voice. "Yami's not really mad, just rather embarrassed. Bakura and the others'll be fine. He'll probably just chase them around the campus a couple times." 

"Ah..." Joey said, not quite sure how to take this bit of news. "Okay..." 

Several more seconds of silence was interrupted by the director clearing her throat loudly. "Well... I suppose that was some sort of private joke..." She sounded very unsure of herself, so Yugi and Ryou both piped up at the same time with a reassuring "Hai!" She relaxed a little after that, and smiled. "Thank you for coming, you all did very well. The results should be posted by next Saturday, right out here by the front of the auditorium. Thank you again!" 

Everyone began to desperse, and Ryou found himself between Malik and Joey's cousin Scott. "Man..." Scott was saying. "No way I'm going to get a good part. That Takeo kid just blew everyone else out of the water, he was so good." 

"Who?" Ryou asked, momentarily confused. 

"Takeo," Malik said. "You know, Tristan's roommate?" 

Ryou felt a chill go up his spine. "But Tristan... Doesn't... Have... A roommate..." Malik blinked hard, wondering what was wrong with his friend. 

"Sure he does," Scott said, unaware that anything was wrong. "He's standing right over there, by the window." The college senior pointed, and Ryou's heart nearly stopped. Malik noticed him go pale, and grabbed him by the arm. 

"What's wrong?" the blond Egyptian hissed as Scott suddenly ran to catch up with Serenity and Mai. 

Ryou didn't know how to answer him. There was no one standing where Scott had pointed. Or, if there was, he didn't have a soul, because Ryou couldn't sense any aura at all. 

~*~ 

The next Saturday was pure chaos in front of Tokyo U Auditorium. Students were all but climbing over each other to have a look at the papers that proclaimed for all to see the cast of Tokyo U's production of _The Sound of Music_. 

Ryou arrived later then everyone else, due to fitful sleep the night before. He still hadn't told anyone what he'd felt, or rather, hadn't felt, about Takeo. He wasn't sure if anyone, even Bakura, would believe him. He wasn't sure he believed himself. He shook his head as he leaned against the corner of the building, slightly apart from the milling crowds. What was wrong with him? 

Suddenly a squeal rang out, followed be excited shouts. In no mood to move, Ryou did something he normally wouldn't do and used his powers to skim a few minds. Ah, so that was the big deal. Tea had just found out that she'd been cast as Maria. Ryou smiled quietly as he "read" the rest of the cast names from her mind. 

Contrary to what he'd thought, Scott had landed the part of Captain VonTrapp. The fact that he was a senior, and Takeo only a freshmen probably helped a lot too. But there were a lot of freshmen playing main roles this year. Tea, as said, had landed Maria. Gwen was going to play Louisa, the thirteen-year-old prankster daughter, and Hiro would be Freidrick, the fourteen-year-old. Yugi was Baron Elberfeild, and Takeo, Rolf. Joey would be Max, and Bakura, of all people, was to be the butler, Franz. 

But, of course, not all of them were freshmen. Elsa Schrader, the woman who loses the Captain to Maria, was played by Mai, and Isis was going to be Frau Schmidt, the housekeeper. 

Serenity found him a few minutes later like that, lost in his own musings. "What'cha thinking about?" she asked, startling him a little. 

"Oh... lots of things." he said vaguely. "Congrats on landing Leisel." 

"Arigatou," she said. "Why didn't you try out? I've heard you sing, and you're good." 

He shrugged noncommitally. "I dunno. I guess, mostly, because I couldn't seriously think that whoever was in charge of casting would put a blind man on the stage. If anything they'd take pity on me and slide me gracefully into a bit part." 

Serenity blinked and backed up a step, surprised at the bitterness in his voice. "Ryou, what's wrong?" 

Ryou sighed and let his shoulders drop, shaking his head slowly. "Takeo's playing Rolf. There's just something about that that bothers me. There's something... Not quite right about him." 

Serenity was quiet a moment, and then, to Ryou's surprise, she giggled. Putting her hands on his shoulders she stood on tip-toe and kissed his cheek. "Why Ryou Bakura, I do believe you're jealous." And that said, she turned around and skipped away, going to congradulate Tea and Gwen, who had become two of her good friends. Ryou was frozen in place for a moment before he scowled and stalked away. He _wasn't_ jealous. _Was not._ Why would he be? Of course he wasn't... 

Behind him, standing unseen and unsenced, Takeo smiled. 

()()()()() 

WSJ: :p There! And I say it again, I'm so sorry this has taken so long!!! I hope it's okay. ^^; It covers almost three months in two paragraphs... 

Harmony: Oo; That's... Weird. 

WSJ: *shrugs* Well... I had no plot for anywhere in those two months, okay?! 

Chapter 9: Preperations for the play are in full swing, and everyone's psyched. Ryou does a little detective work (*rimshot* What?! *looks around franticly*) on Takeo's background, and comes up with something intresting. And in the midst of it all, Ishtar, ever the pervert, walks in on seventeen half-naked nuns. ;p You'll see. (Based on what happened to me and my friends when our school superintendent walked in on us during a costume change. *snickers loudly*) 

God bless minna-san! 


	9. Reasons Why and a Really Good Cry

WSJ: *humming absently* Play's finally over! Hooray! ^____^ Happy Easter all! 

Harmony: v_v; Don't mind her, she's spent all morning feasting on Nerds, Hersey Kisses and over-sweet iced tea, so she's on a major sugar-high.... 

WSJ: :p Of course! That's what Easter candy's for! And an even bigger hooray!! Brood got **1st** in her division of forensics (competetive acting) tourney, and she's going to state too!! *spins around on her desk chair* Wheeeeeee!! *falls over and giggles hysterically* 

Harmony: *super sweatdrop* Okay... No more sugar for you... 

WSJ: Au contrare, my little musie! *holds up bucket of candy* I've still got lots more!!! 

Harmony: Oo; .....Musie? 

WSJ: ^^ *nods happily, then shakes mystery box from katia* Hmmmm.... ?? He-ke? 

Harmony: Oo; What? 

WSJ: ^^ He-ke? It's Hamtaro-talk. 

Harmony: *twitches* 

WSJ: :p I know I'm inconsistant, okay? When there's a dispiute, take whatever the most recent writing is. But about Ryou's birthday; I recently found out it really _is_ September 2nd. Isn't that cool? ^^ Mine's September 16. ^^v 

Disclaimer: We don't own YGO. We own Takeo, Hiro, Gwen, and Scott. Yes, we do precious... *hisses and strokes bucket of candy* 

Harmony: OO;; Brood owns Amoura, Lisa, and Yunet. And I'm out of here! *runs from WSJ's immence sugar-highness, CP and Bakura at her heels. WSJ is left alone, giggling and devouring candy* 

()()()()() 

Yamis of Tokyo U: Freshmen 

Chapter 9: Reasons Why and a Really Good Cry 

The first rehersal was two days later, on Monday. Scripts were handed out, some proceedures were discussed, but that was about all. As the cast immerged from the Drama Center, Ryou was waiting, and he caught Bakura by the arm. "Mou hitori no boku, I have to talk to you." 

Bakura blinked, his eyebrows raised into his hairline. Ryou almost never called him "my other half" anymore, just as Bakura, for one reason or another, almost never called him aibou. It just complicated matters, and besides, they didn't have to say anything. They already knew they were partners and friends, even though they no longer shared a body or the powers of the Ring, which Ryou still wore. 

Ryou drew him around the corner of the building, where they were afforded a little privacy, and yet it didn't look strange or suspicious for them to be there talking. "What is it Ryou?" 

Ryou was quiet, trying to gather his thoughts into words. His decision to tell Bakura about Takeo had been impetuous, but he needed some help with what he was planning to do. "There's something that bothers me about Tristan's roommate." 

"Takeo?" Bakura turned and looked over his shoulder at the man in question, who was just coming out of the building with his cousin Rhiannon, or just Rhian, the little girl who was playing Gretl. She was on his shoulders, and he was talking urgently to her in a voice too low for Ryou and Bakura to hear. 

"What about him?" 

Ryou frowned. "Bakura, you trust me, right? And you'd stand by me, no matter what?" 

Bakura nodded. "Of course I would, you know that." 

Ryou was quiet for another minute or so. Then he said, finally, "Something about Takeo isn't right. I can't sense his aura at all. It's like he's not even there. And yet, I can sense Rhian, but it's like she's floating five feet in the air; sitting on nothing!" 

"Are you sure?" Bakura's jaw was somewhere around ground level. "We've got to tell Yami about this right away." 

"No!" Ryou pleaded. "You can't! Do you really think he'd believe me?" 

Bakura looked at him sternly. "Aibou. You doubt yourself too much. Of course he would believe you. But for now, I suppose I shall have to humor you." He crossed his arms and leaned back against the brick wall of the Drama Center. "So what do you propose we do?" 

"I want to find out who he is; what he is. What he's doing here, where he came from. Do you notice he doesn't quite look Japanese?" 

Bakura nodded. "Hai, I have noticed. He doesn't really look like anything. Gwen and Amoura, at least, look their nationalities. Takeo looks like nothing. And his Japanese is too perfect, not even an accent. Where does he say he came from?" 

"I don't know," Ryou said. "But I'll ask Tristan." 

"Good," Bakura said, nodding. "I'm going to be swamped with play stuff from now on, I'll probably get back to the dorm long after you've gone to bed. How 'bout we meet right back here a week from today?" He held out his hand. 

Ryou clasped it firmly, smiling for the first time. "Deal." 

~*~ 

Mai was so intent on her own thoughts as she headed back from the Drama Center that at first she didn't even notice when he dropped in behind her. Finally he gave up and put his hands over her eyes, snickering slightly. She gasped and spun around, then let out a long breath. 

"Scott! Don't scare me like that!" 

"What'cha thinking about?" he teased, walking beside her. 

She shrugged indifferently. "I dunno, the play I guess." 

"What, mad that I'm your "fiance", and not my cousin?" 

Mai blushed as she tried to swat at him with her purse. "Scott! What made you think that I'd want Joey as my fiance, even for a play?" 

"Oh, I dunno," Scott said, dodging her purse with a grin. "Just Joey himself." 

Mai froze. "J-Joey?" 

"Yeah, he told me himself. He said that he wished he 'was playing the Captain so I could have Mai as my fiancee', end quote." 

"Oh dear..." Mai was so busy blushing and staring at her shoes and trying to overcome her anger all at once that she didn't notice Scott's grin, or the sly glances he kept throwing at a nearby bush. Finally Mai excused herself and hurried off, not in the direction of the dorms, but toward her car. She needed to drive around and air her thoughts. 

Once she was out of sight, Gwen and Yugi climbed out of the bushes and joined Scott on the sidewalk. Gwen laughed as she shook leaves out of her clothes. "Not one of our more inspired hiding places, for sure." 

Yugi nodded as he pulled a collection of twigs out of his hair. "For sure. How'd it go Scott? We couldn't hear back there because _somebody_ couldn't stop giggling." 

Gwen made a face at him, and Scott chuckled. "About as well as to be expected. She blushed a lot, then ran off. I think she really likes him." 

"Hello!" Gwen said. "Where have you been, Mars? Doesn't Joey ever tell you anything?" 

Scott frowned. "What do you mean?" 

"Joey and Mai were dating for awhile a couple years ago." Yugi said, yanking the last of the small sticks out of his hair. "But they had a huge fight and broke it off. They've been fighting constantly ever since. We _know_ that they like each other, we just have to get them together again." 

"Which is the point of this whole match-making thing." Gwen said, rubbing her palms together. "We're so glad you agreed to help! You're perfect!" 

Scott blinked. "Perfect? For what?" 

"Matchmaking!" Gwen said, slightly exhasperated. "You're Joey's cousin, _and_ you're staring opposite Mai in the play! You're perfect to help us get to both of them, like you did Mai today." 

"You and Isis and Serenity are our key people." Yugi told him. "You three are the ones closest to them." 

Scott rubbed his jaw, where a bit of beard was beginning to grow. "Close to them? I wouldn't know about that... But," he shrugged. "If you say so." 

"We say so." Gwen assured him. "Now come on, we've got planning to do!" 

~*~ 

Mai's car was roaring down the road so fast that if she had been calm enough to think of it, she would have wondered why she didn't get stopped for speeding. 

"Baka..." she muttered darkly to herself. "Bakayaro! Want me for a fiance, hmph. I should blast him into orbit." She snorted, and then suddenly found that she was arguing against herself. 

_You like him! You know you do. Stop denying._

"I'm not denying." she said aloud. "Scott's pretty cute, I'll admit that. But Joey? Puh-leaz." 

_Suit yourself. You'll see..._

Mai turned on the radio with a snap, hoping to shut herself up. But, as often happens, Fate (who is a pretty avid matchmaker herself) stepped in and made sure the song on the radio was just the one Mai needed to hear. And if Mai saw a black- or white-feathered wing out of the corner of her eyes, or heard a giggle, she atributed it to her imagination. 

_"So gimme:   
Speed,   
How fast will it go?   
Can it get me, over her quickly,   
Zero to sixty, can it outrun her memories?   
Yeah, what I really need   
Is an open road...   
An' a whole lotta speed..."_

(WSJ: That song is "Speed", by Montgomery Gentry. It's one of my favorites! *giggles* Actually, if you listen to the whole thing, it reminds me a lot of Pegasus...) 

She frowned and bit her lip as a long-surpressed memory floated to the surface. It had been almost seven months now, seven months since she'd left Domino City for God-knows-where... 

_"Hey, Mai," _

Mai looked up from loading her car to see Joey leaning casually against the hood. "What do you want Wheeler?" 

Joey shrugged, a cocky grin on his face. "Oh, I dunno, thought I'd see you off, I guess." 

"But **I** didn't even know I was going anywhere Joey. So why are you here?" 

Joey didn't answer as he leaned toward her over the hood of her car. "Why didn't it ever work out for us Mai?" She didn't answer, unable to turn her eyes away from him. Finally he sighed and stepped back, opening the driver's side door for her. She stared at him dumbly a moment, and he grinned at her. "Well, go on, where ever it is you're going. Just don't forget to come back, okay?" 

Mai nodded as she got in and pulled the door out of Joey's hands, shutting it behind her. She stuck the key in the ignition and almost missed Joey's final words. 

"What are you running away from this time, Mai?" 

The only answer she gave him was a cloud of dust. 

Mai pulled into a random parking lot and put her arms on the steering wheel. Leaning forward so that her forehead was rested against her arms, she stared down at her lap, refusing to let herself cry. 

"Miz Mai?" 

Mai's head jerked up, and she turned to see Amoura peering at her through the window, a glass of something in each hand. Mai rolled down the window, attempting to smile. "Hiya Amoura, what are you doing here?" 

Amoura smiled at her. "Getting zupper," she gestured with an elbow at the McDonalds that Mai had unwittingly pulled into. "I zaw you an' you looked down. Vant a zhake?" 

Mai blinked as Amoura offered her one of the cups, trying to puzzle through the French girl's accent. "What? Oh, a _shake_! Gee, I really could use one..." She hit the electronic unlocker and patted the passenger seat next to her. "Come on in." 

The French duelist circled around to the other side of the car and handed Mai her shake before settling herself down next to the older girl, sipping her own creamy ice creame by-product. "Zo vhat iz wrong Miz Mai?" she asked after a few minutes of silence. 

Mai chuckled half-heartedly. "Mai. Just Mai, Amoura. Did any of them ever tell you about my little run-away last summer? And of course by 'them' I mean Yugi and co." 

Amoura shook her head. "No. Tea might 'ave said something about you being gone, but she never explained it to Gven (she pronouned it very cutely, like 'geh-ven') or I." 

Mai was quiet, fiddling with the lid of her cup. Finally she said with a sort of half-choked voice; "Have you ever been drunk Amoura? No? What about high on cocaine? You never want to be, believe me." She sniffled and rubbed at her eyes with the back of her hand. "Joey and I were just fightng so much, and I couldn't handle it. It reminded me of when my parents fought, way back when when I was a little girl. I didn't want to hurt Joey the way my dad had hurt my mom, so I just left. It didn't occur to me until later that that was exactly what my dad had done to mom and I; just up and left. 

"But by then my pride wouldn't let me go back to Domino. So I did a lot of wandering, and ended up in Kyoto. I found some 'friends' there who offered me booze, crack, and any number of other unsavory things, and I took them. I don't to this day know why, but I took them." Mai was still crying, but the tears were slower now. "One morning I woke up with my hair chopped and dyed and a Harpie tattoo with no memory of where I'd gotten them, and I decided that enough was enough. So I went back. That was just last Augest. I didn't do enough drugs to get addicted, but boy did I come close... 

"And that's why I can't let Joey love me. Don't you see Amoura? I've done so many things... And he, he is a tenshi, you would say an angel. My family has a history of broken families. I won't hurt him. I _won't_. Not like I hurt-" She stopped herself and shook her head. "I'm sorry Amoura. I shouldn't be piling all this on you." She sniffled once more and wiped her eyes. 

"Mi- I mean, Mai. You cannot let vone miztake change your 'ole live. You love 'im, no?" Amoura said. She held up her hand, not letting Mai answer one way or another. "Jus' because your dad valked out on you and your mom doez not mean you are doomed to do the zame. Give 'im a chance to love you. You might be zurprized." 

And then the French girl was gone, heading across the parking lot to her own car. Mai sat stunned, and then thoughtful, for several hours, contemplating what Amoura had said, and what about last summer Mai hadn't told her. In the gathering gloom of the night, one more tear, alone in its trek, rolled down Mai's cheek. 

"What now Kale? What do I do now?" 

~*~ 

The week appointed passed rather quickly, and Bakura and Ryou were once again meeting by the corner of the Drama Center, Ryou frowning in thought. "This is getting stranger and stranger Bakura. Supposedly, Takeo's from Osaka, but that just doesn't ring true. Mako's from Osaka, and when I asked him, he said he could find out if there were any Tomia's anywhere. And they're _aren't_." 

Bakura shrugged. "So the guy's an orphan, so what?" 

"No," Ryou said, shaking his head slowly. "I don't think so. Dangit Bakura, stop thinking like a mortal for a minute and start thinking like a, a yami!" 

Bakura chuckled slightly at this odd statement. "Whatever you say. How do we start?" 

()()()()() 

WSJ: Sorry all, but tha 'half-naked nuns' thing will have to be put on hold a few chapters. :p It will still happen though. 

Chapter 10: It's Christmas time, and after struggling their way through finals, everyone gets out of Tokyo U for three full weeks! Amoura and Gwen wreak a little holiday havoc at the Kaiba mansion, with Hiro along for the ride. Malik and Ishtar conspire to get Shaadi and Isis under the mistletoe. The Valentines and the Motos are getting ready for their respective holiday parties. Bakura sips a bit too much eggnog. And through it all, on Christmas Eve Ryou has the strangest vision that he has in a long time... 

God bless minna-san! ^^v 


	10. When Christmas Rolls Around

WSJ: MWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Ryou: Oo; Eep. She's lost it. 

WSJ: *smirking* HCG? You'll like this chapter. It contains what we've been talking about over e-mail. *wink wink* And to everyone else: If you haven't already, go read High Crystal Guardian's stories _Shadow Turned Light_ and _Negative Chaos_. They rock, and I'm "borrowing" two of her OCs for use in this chapter. :p 

Ryou: *apprehensive* Oh no... 

WSJ: ^__^ Oh yes! *snicker* Hey wait, where's Harmony?? (Harmony is my muse for the Tales of the Child of Fate) 

Ryou: ....She ran away, remember? 

WSJ: *sweatdrop* Oh yes... She's staying with Brood right now. ^^ She should be back later. Anyway, as to who Kale is and what Takeo is... Well... One you'll find out at the end of this fic, but the other won't be reveiled until the next fic in the series. 

Ryou: You mean _Yamis of Tokyo U: Sophmore_? 

WSJ: No, I mean _Home Sweet Home_, which is a fic that will take place during the summer between the freshmen and sophmore years. :p I'll get started on it as soon as YoTU:F is over. Not that that'll be any time soon... 

Ryou: *sighs* SJ doesn't own us. She does, however, own Hiro, Gwen, Takeo, Kale, Scott, and various other OCs and villains. Amoura, Yunet, and Lisa are Brood's. 

WSJ: *compulsively playing her new computer card program, which has over 400 different Solitare games* Mwahaha! Forget the King of Games! I am the Queen of Sol!!! 

Yami: *twitch twitch* 

Ryou: ^^; I really need to get her into "Solitare-Addicts Anonomus".... 

()()()()() 

Yamis of Tokyo U: Freshmen 

Chapter 10: When Christmas Rolls Around... 

"Huzzah! We're free!!!" Joey and Tristan leaped off the steps of the dorm building happily. "Christmas vacation!" 

"Lucky you," Hiro said sourly. "Gwen and Amoura and I get to stay here." 

Everyone stopped and looked at the three who were standing a little apart. "Really?" Yugi asked, walking over to them. "How come?" 

"There isn't enough time to fly back to California." Gwen said, then glanced at Amoura. "Or France." 

"Or Sapporo." Hiro added. 

Everyone looked at him in surprise (save Amoura, Gwen, and the yamis, who knew little to nothing of Japanese geography). "Wow, you're from that far north?" Joey asked, whistling through his teeth. "No wonder you can't get home for the holidays." 

"That's too bad..." Tea said. "I wish there was some way we could help, but the apartment that mom and dad and I have is way too small for even just the three of us." 

"We have a little spare room in the Game Shop," Yami reminded Yugi. 

"Hai, but not enough room for all three of them." Yugi said gloomily. 

Everyone thought about this, and when Mai announced that she was freezing they all headed inside and thought about it some more in the lounge. Serenity and Kaiba were still around from play rehersal that afternoon, and all of a sudden Malik snapped his fingers and grinned at Mokuba, his expression sweet enough to give anyone cavities. "Oh Kaiba..." 

Mokuba blinked, then frowned slightly. "I don't know if Nii-sama would-" He stopped as Ryou kicked him gently in the ankle. Oh yeah, he remembered. Seto was supposed to be dead. The fifteen-year-old's face broke into a grin. It had been a long time since they'd had any guests, and a longer time still since he and Seto had celebrated Christmas. 

"I'd love to have you, all three of you, if you'd like." 

Yugi pouted slightly. "What, no one wants to stay at the Game Shop with Yami and Granpa and I?" 

Everyone fell to arguing as several more people, including but not limited to the Wheeler siblings and Ryou, also offered their homes for Christmas break. Eventually it was agreed that Hiro would stay at the Game Shop, and the two girls would stay at the Kaiba mansion. Mokuba just sat through all this and grinned, his eyes glazing over slightly. 

/You awake Nii-sama?/ 

//Hai. Did I just hear what I thought I heard Mokuba?// 

Mokuba frowned slightly. /Nii-sama, it's been a long time since we celebrated anything more then our birthdays! Don't you remember how it used to be?/ 

Seto's answer was quiet, as he was lost in his own reflections. //Hai Mokuba, I do. Better then you, I'd wager.// 

_Seto could have only been about nine, Mokuba about four. Gozenboru, their adoptive father, was throwing one of the biggest parties that Domino City had ever seen. Both boys were present, although Mokuba had dropped off to sleep early and had been carried back to bed by one of the many nannies. _

But of course Seto, being Gozenboru's pride and joy, had to stay up and be shown off to all his father's rich friends. Not that he really minded. He wouldn't have missed the party if you'd tied him up and stuffed him in the closet. 

At the moment he was off to one side, allowing himself to be fussed over by a tall, slender blond woman in her late thirties, trying his best not to yawn in her face. 

"Mama," 

Both Seto and the woman looked over to where a girl about thirteen or fourteen was leading a younger girl, about ten, by the hand. They looked a lot alike, and both of them looked like the blond woman too. The older girl had on a sleek blue dress that shimmered in the light, but the younger one looked like a doll dressed up in pink lace and white ribbon. She was doing her best not to look bored, and when she spied Seto her eyes lit up. She pried her hand out of her older sister's and came over. 

"Hiya!" she said brightly. "I'm Mai Valentine. You're Mr Kaiba's son, aren't you?" 

Seto snickered. "Yeah, I'm Seto. And your name's really stupid!" 

Mai's eyes widened, and then narrowed again. "Is that so?" she huffed. "Well, maybe I don't want to talk to you anymore." She turned away, crossing her arms in the supremely indignant way that only little girls can. 

"No, I'm sorry!" Seto said hurridly. "I didn't mean it, truly! Want some cake?" 

Mai peered at him hopefully. "Cake?" 

"Yeah," Seto said. "I'm not tall enough to reach it, but let's go find Pegasus. He'll get it down for us." 

"Okay," Mai agreed. "You know Pegasus-kun too?" 

Seto blinked at her as they set off through the crowd. "His daddy and my dad are good friends, so I see him every couple weeks when they get together for lunch." 

"Ooooh," Mai said, nodding in comprehension. "My sister's in love with him." 

Seto oogled at her. "Ew... In love with Pegasus? He's funny and makes my brother Mokuba laugh, but I could never love_ him!" _

Mai giggled. "Silly! Of course not! You're a boy! I'm never going to fall in love." 

"Me neither." Seto said. "Love is for babies and old ladies." 

Mai giggled again, nodding. "Uh-huh! Are we friends then Seto? Tomodachi?" 

Seto thought about this for a moment, then grinned and tugged on her hair. "Tomodachi." 

(WSJ: Okay, just one quick note on this section. ^^ If you thought that I was hinting that Mai's sister is/was Cecelia Pegasus, then you'd be right. I've had this little theory for awhile now that she and Mai are sisters or at least cousins. I mean come _on_! They look practically like twins! Okay, 'nuff rambling. ^^ On with the fic.) 

A week later on Christmas Eve, Mai was sitting on her window seat, running a brush through her hair. A small half-smile crept onto her face as she thought about that same night, the night she and Seto Kaiba had met. That had been about a year and a half before Gozenboru had died. "Man," she said out loud to herself. "That was ten years ago, wasn't it? How time flies..." 

And, since the death of Gozenboru Kaiba meant the obvious end to any and all the gala parties he threw, the Valentines had picked up the tradition. After all, they were as rich if not richer then old Kaiba had been. In fact... 

Mai sighed and put down the brush, crossing the room to fling open the doors of her huge, decrepid old wardrobe, reveiling the ballgown that hung within, pressed and ready for tomorrow night. She sighed again, heavier this time, and sat down on her bed, curling her feet up and under her nightgown. 

She was home now, but somehow it didn't feel like it. This room was fit for any princess, but she didn't want it. It had been decorated completely by her mother, whose idea of a girls' room consisted of pink, white, satin, and lots and lots of ruffles. The lamp even had a pink lace shade on it and a ribbon tied around the base, for God's sakes! 

The bed was huge, with a frothy pink canopy hung over the top and pink and yellow sheets. The curtains were magenta, and the trimming on the mirror on her dressing table had little fairies crawling all over it. Actually, now that Mai thought of it, her room reminded her of some of the ones in Pegasus's castle only... well, there was no way getting around the word, only _pinker_. Her mother had a thing for pink. 

And there was a fluffy teddy bear perched next to her pillow. 

With a pink ribbon around its neck. 

Yup, her mother was pink fixated. 

The only thing that Mai did like about her room was hanging just across from her, on the wall next to the window. She'd hung it specially so that it was right across from her bed. It was the first thing she saw when she woke up in the morning, and the last thing she saw before going to sleep. 

It was a painting that Pegasus had done especially for her just after her sister, his wife, Cecelia had died. It was of a scene from their childhood that Mai had been able to remember well enough for Pegasus to paint. Heck, she was unlikely to _ever_ forget that day, not that she'd want to. 

She and Cecelia had been about twelve and eight, respectively, and that day had been thoughroughly fed up with their governess. So they'd escaped from the classroom while she had her back turned and spent the rest of the day leading the poor woman around in circles in the garden maze. At one point she and Cece had fallen into the fountain in the middle, but it was a hot day and their governess was the sort who didn't get mad about things like that, so it didn't really matter. 

The scene in the painting was of her and Cece, dripping wet, sitting in the fountain and laughing their heads off while the little stone mermaid on her pillar poured water onto Mai's head. 

Mai smiled a bit at the memory. Then her eyes were drawn to the little M.J.P. autograph in the corner of the painting, and her smile faded. Everyone said Pegasus was a monster, and it was true that after Cecelia died he had gone a little crazy (hadn't they all?). But Mai was unable to think of him that way. All she could think about was how sweet and nice he'd been, how chuvanistic, how kind and gentlemanly. He'd really loved Cece, Mai'd always known that. Cecelia had been the light in everyone's life. And once that light had gone out... Well, what was there to live for? 

Truth be told, Mai rather thought that Pegasus had taken the easy way out. Insanity... Insanity was _easy_. It was living that was hard. And mother, Mrs Valentine? She'd become little more then a busy-body shell of what she'd used to be. Mai herself? Well, Mai was still taking it one day at a time. 

"Why'd you have to go Cece?" Mai asked no one in particular as she climbed under the covers. "It isn't fair..." 

Within minutes she was asleep, one tear on her cheek. 

For a moment there was a slight shimmer in the air next to her bed. Fate appeared, her wings swishing gently in the darkness. Two other figures were with her, one next to her and one rather more behind her. 

**This isn't how it is done.** said the... person behind her, the words arriving in the angel-demon's brain without bothering to go through her ears. 

"I know," she said. "But you are forgetting, Deathy, that besides being Fate I am a sap for sad stories." 

Death made a rumbling sound that was his aproximacation of a polite cough. **Nevertheless, there are Rules. She doesn't have an Item! I should be tending to the Tauk's carrier, not following you on some crazy mission. And _you_ should be watching the Child more then ever.**

Fate smiled at the black-robed skelital figure. "Isis will keep for one night, and so will Ryou. And I'm afraid you are wrong about the Rules. At least tonight. It's Christmas Eve, and there are no Rules." She turned back to the woman beside her with a kindly smile. "Go on dear." 

Cecelia Pegasus stepped forward and leaned over her sister, slipping something under Mai's pillow as she did. Mai stirred as her sister's lips brushed against her cheek, and then sighed. Cece stepped back, a sad smile on her face and she and Fate and Death began to fade away. 

"Merry Christmas sis..." 

~*~ 

Even the Elements are given a night off. 

War, a big man in a red (or possibly just blood-stained) overcoat was lounging on the couch, gourging himself on buffelo wings. Passion, a skinny young woman in rather skimpy clothes, was watching him in facination. "Tell me, what's the difference between buffelo wings and chicken wings?" War shrugged and went back to eating. 

Across the room Hatred laughed. "He doesn't know. He don't know nothin'." 

"I'd shut up if I were you." Time advised, kicking back in a lounge chair across from War. "Fate should be back any time." 

"Why would I care?" Hatred sneered. "She can't do anything to _me_." 

"No," Desire said, picking up her long purple robes as she stepped over a large puddle of coke under War's chair, "But unlike the rest of us, she would _try_." Hatred paled at this thought and went back to busily reading his book. 

It was a strange sort of gathering. Ryou and Bakura knew that Fate was an actual, real person, and Yugi had once met Time, but none of the rest knew that their Item Elements were actually real. Well, they weren't exactly real. Not in the way most people think of the term. But they were self-aware, and they did breathe and eat (in the case of War, eat a lot). They just couldn't be killed. 

The door opened and Fate walked in with Death behind her, and she surveyed the scene with a frown. "Good greif, one night off and we turn the place into a pig-sty..." 

"Aw come on Fatey, he won't mind." 

Fate glared at Hatred. "Don't call me Fatey. And believe me, Moses _always_ minds." 

"Couldn't he just raise his staff and part the filth down the middle?" 

Passion's satement was met with general laughter all around, and Fate grinned. "Well, if we're going to trash Moses's apartment, we might as well do it right. Who has the Silly String?" 

**I believe that is me...**

Even Elements get a night off. 

~*~ 

//I can't believe she's invited him to stay the night! _Him!!_ Mr Doom-on-You!!!// 

Malik tried to keep a strait face as he sat across the dinner table from Isis and Shaadi and talked to his yami at the same time. /I can. If he's Mr Doom and Gloom, then she's _Mrs_ Doom and Gloom.../ 

//So what do we do now? And wasn't she having an affair with Kaiba?// 

Malik raised an eyebrow and tried not to smirk. /First off, that was years ago. Neither of them were married, so it wasn't technically an affair, and I think Ryou just made that up to freak us all out./ 

//...Is it an affair if one of them is dead?// 

"Malik," Isis said to him with concern. "Are you okay? Your face is all red." 

"Just fine onee-san," he said, trying his best not to burst out laughing right there. /I think, Ishtar, the best course of action right now would be to get them under the mistletoe./ 

//Good idea! .....Malik?// 

/Hm?/ 

//What's mistletoe?// 

~*~ 

Ryou yawned as he slid into bed around midnight. Bakura was already asleep in the next room, and his dad was more then half-asleep too. Ryou, for some reason, had been unable to sleep at all. Maybe it was excitement over Yugi's party tomorrow evening. Yeah, that was it. Of course it was. 

The only other times he hadn't been able to sleep like this was right before he got a big vision in the form of a dream. And usually they weren't very good. As Ishtar liked to say, death, destruction, and a bucket of fish. 

He blinked sleepily, and then jolted. He could _see_. Which only meant one thing. He was asleep, and dreaming. But this corridor seemed very familiar. It reminded Ryou of the Shadow Realm, but it wasn't threatening. And besides, in the Shadow Realm he wouldn't be able to see. 

There was something farther ahead in the corridor, beckoning to him. He tried to reach out and sence whoever or whatever it was, and another realization slapped him in the face. _He couldn't sense._ Something was cutting him off from his telepath's abilities. 

But whatever was down there didn't seem threatening, and besides, Ryou doubted this dream would end if he just stayed where he was. So he took a deep breath, wrapped his fingers around the cold metal of the Ring for comfort, and started forward. 

He'd only taken a couple dozen steps when he came within sight of his objective, and realized why the corridor seemed so bloody familiar. On either side of it were two doors, one carved with the Eye of Horus. They were the doors into hs and Bakura's soulrooms. 

And yet... He shouldn't have been able to get to them, because Bakura no longer shared his body. A chilling thought came over Ryou. 

Unless this wasn't his mind... 

One shadow next to what could for all purposes be called Ryou's soulroom detached itself from the rest and glided forward. Ryou gulped and took a hurried step back as he suddenly felt the prick of a rapier at his neck. 

All at once his psychic abilities came rushing back to him, and he picked the other man up in a whirl of force and planted him spread-eagled on the wall of the corridor. The other man let out a grunt and let go of his sword, which landed point-first in the ground and stuck there, vibrating slightly. 

Still holding the man to the wall, Ryou bent down to get a look at the sword. He was sure he'd never seen it before, and yet... It was very familiar. The blade was thin, and little more then two feet long. A fencing foil, Ryou realized suddenly. The hand guard was silver and black, and a silver cobra was carved onto the pommel, head reared to strike. 

Another shiver went through Ryou, and he slowly turned to look at the man that belonged with the sword. 

He was wearing a leather jacket, and underneith he had on baggy pants and a navy blue shirt and boots. His left hand was encased in a black, fingerless fencer's glove. What really surprised Ryou though was the face and hair, and the Ring around his neck. 

He let the man gently down to the floor, and for a moment they just stared at each other. Finally Ryou said "You're... you're _me_..." 

"No, I'm not," the other said, brushing off his jacket. "K'so, I didn't know you were that strong. Sorry about that." He pulled the sword out of the ground and put it back in the sheath. Then he turned and held out a hand to Ryou. "I'm Ryou Bakura, but for the sake of simplicity, call me Kawari." 

Ryou blinked, then blinked again, and finally took the hand offered. "You're right, you're not me. But yet you are..." 

"I can explain." Kawari said, his smile still easy, though his eyes were a bit harder. "There are other realms that run parallel to the ones we know to be true." 

"Oh I know _that_." Ryou said. "I can't be a telepath and _not_ know. So you're the opposite me?" 

Now it was Kawari's turn to blink, then he grinned widely. "Actually, I don't think so. I think both of us are opposite reflections on yet another Ryou Bakura, whom I've met. We just reflected in opposite directions from each other." 

Ryou nodded slowly. "It makes sence... So why are you here?" 

"I'm here because we're in trouble." 

"We?" 

"You, I mean. All of us. Me." Kawari waved his hands, trying to explain. "There's something weird going on in the Shadow Realm. Kaeru thinks something's out to get us. All of us. All the Ryou Bakuras." 

"Kaeru," Ryou said, and the meaning behind the name came easily to his mind. "Your yami. Your version of Bakura." 

Kawari nodded. "Hai." he paused. "Just out of curiosity, is your yami really a _mortal_?" 

Now it was Ryou's turn to nod. "He is. But how'd you get in here, or get me here, or whatever? You're not a telepath." 

Kawari smiled wryly. "Don't you know? There are no Rules on Christmas Eve." 

"But what can _I_ do to help?" 

Kawari's eyes bored into his. "We are all Ryou Bakura. We are all of equal strength. But you are stronger still. Only you can drive back the darkness, because it was in your realm that he took shape and formed, and it's your realm he's living in now. We're all holding our own, but we can't last much longer." Kawari hesitated, then shook his head. "There's too many gaps, too many holes. Too many realms in which Ryou Bakura is dead. Too many Ryou-shaped holes with no Ryou-shaped people to step into them." He looked back at Ryou. "Kaeru and I are counting on you." He saluted casually. "Be seein' ya." 

And then he was gone, and Ryou was slipping into deeper sleep. 

~*~ 

"WHAAAAAAT????" 

Mokuba winced as he stared at the American. "I said we don't celebrate Christmas. Not since Nii-sama died." _Not before that, either,_ he added silently. 

"But that's just-just..." Gwen sputtered, "Wrong! You _have_ to celebrate Christmas!" 

"Gven," Amoura tapped her on the shoulder. "You are ranting..." 

"I don't bloody care if I'm ranting! We are going to bring Christmas to this house! Mokuba, get one of the servents to find a tree. Send someone else for holly. Amoura, get the kitchens up and going! Call Hiro and make him help! Come on Moku', we're going shopping!" 

_Oh hell,_ Mokuba and Seto thought in unison as they were dragged out the door by the over-excited Californian, and Seto added //See what you've gotten us into little brother??// 

()()()()() 

WSJ: :p LOL. That was surprisingly fun to write. ^^ Hope you liked!! *cackles* Oh yes, and I never name anyone without a reason. Someone said they liked the name Rhiannon. Do you know what it means? *cackles again* 

Chapter 11: Christmas Day is here! ^^ The Motos host a rough-and-tumble party, where Bakura gets drunk on eggnog. Oh dear. *sweatdrop* And meanwhile, the Valentines are hosting their own party, rather more prim and proper. Of course, Mai's bored out of her mind until she sees someone she never expected. And Malik and Ishtar are still trying to get Isis and Shaadi under the mistletoe. But what happens when Malik gets caught instead? 

God bless minna-san! 


	11. Love is a Battlefeild

WSJ: *giggling* I'm so sorry if I got all your hopes up for a new chapter when I posted the survey. ^~ So in return for you guys not coming after me with big sticks and sharp swords, here's an extra long chapter. *grin* Filled with lots of juicey bits. 

Malik: *reads ahead*.....I hate you. 

WSJ: ^^v I knowit. :p And I don't really care. 

Ryou: ^^;; Don't mind SJ. She's hyper. As usual... *sigh* 

WSJ: :p Hah hah! Everyone thinks it's Pegsy who's going to visit Mai, eh? .... *snicker* You'll see. And about who Malik gets caught under the mistletoe with, I _was_ thinking either Gwen or Serenity, but Trupana came up with a better suggestion then I could have ever dreamed of. ^^v So the Malik-and-*coughnottellingyet* scene is all Trupana's inspiration! *laughs* You'll see what I mean... 

Malik: *x* I want my mommy... 

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OCs, whom I'm _not_ going to list again. ^~ Broody-chan owns her OCs too. And, just to make things clear, Kawari, Kaeru, and the Negative Realm all belong to High Crystal Guardian from her fics. ^~ She borrowed my Elements for her story, so I decided to return the favor with her awesome OCs. *hisses and beats away all the other Kawari-fans with a big stick* Mine! Mine I say! Mine! 

Kawari & Ryou: *sweatdrop* 

WSJ: Oh, someone asked me if Mai was my favorite character. Actually, no. Ryou is (duh), and if you were talking female character then I'd have to say Shizuka/Serenity. ^~ But Mai's past is unknown, which leaves it open to angst in a way that not even Tea and Tristan's do. And you all _know_ how I can't resist a bit of angstyness... 

Ryou: H'oah boy, do I ever... 

WSJ: ^^ 

()()()()() 

Yamis of Tokyo U: Freshmen 

Chapter 11: Love is a Battlefeild 

Mai yawned and rolled over, squeezing her eyes shut against the bright sunlight that was streaming through her window. She smiled, and realized that that was the best sleep she'd gotten in weeks. Hey, the room may be pink, but it was home. 

A knock came at the door, startling Mai so that she rolled out of bed and landed in an ungraceful, cursing heap on the floor. The knocking stopped, and her mother poked her head in. "Oh dear Madeline, are you all right?" 

Mai winced at the use of her full name. "It's Mai, Okaasan, we've been over it before." 

Her mother frowned. "I named you Madeline, I did not name you Mai," she said the name as if it were a curse. "Your father gave you that silly nickname, and then Cece picked up on it even after he left." She sniffed. "How abominable. Come along then Madeline, and get dressed. Chloe will have breakfast on the table soon." With that Mrs Valentine left, closing the door with a decisive _thud_ after her. 

Mai and her mother had never gotten along, especially after Mr Valentine had run off and Cecelia went to get married to Pegasus, and then even more after she died. The two were as opposite as possible. Mostly, they had pretended to get along for Cecelia's sake, and after she died they'd stopped even pretending. Mrs Valentine was proper and haughty and everything Mai wasn't. Mai was rebellious and spunky and pretty, unlike her mother. 

Mai sat on the floor for another minute or so, rubbing her bruised butt and muttering obscenities. Then she hauled herself upright, picking up the pillow and the tangle of sheets that had fallen off with her. She started to put them in their proper places on the bed, and stopped. Something was sitting at the head of the bed, where her pillow would have covered it, had she not fallen out of bed and knocked it off. As if in a dream she picked it up, turning it over and over in her hands as she walked toward the window. 

She leaned her elbows up against the sill and licked her dry lips, her heart trying its best to tap-dance out of her chest. A tear slid down her cheek, followed by another as Mai clenched the little gold bauble close to her. She recognised it. Oh how she recognised it... 

It was a locket, a small gold heart hanging from a fine silver-and-gold chain. On the front it was etched with a small, intricate scrollwork, and on the back were the initials CCVP. Cecelia Valentine-Pegasus. Mai didn't have to open it to know that inside was a picture of Pegasus on one side, Mai herself on the other. After giving it to Cecelia on her sixteenth birthday, Mai had never seen her without it. A chill went down her spine what Mai remembered that Cece had been _buried_ with it around her neck. 

_Merry Christmas Mai..._

Mai blinked at the whispered words, and in front of her eyes the snow outside blurred. She sniffled a little, and then clasped the locket around her neck. She turned and glanced once at Pegasus's painting before going to her dresser to find something to wear until it was time to start getting ready for the party that night. 

"Merry Christmas to you too Cece..." 

~*~ 

Bakura yawned as he trudged down the stairs, absently wondering if Ryou, who was most usually the first one up, had gotten the coffee going. Over the years the yami-turned-mortal had become increasingly addicted to it, so he couldn't start a day now without it. 

He entered the livingroom on his way to the kitchen and stopped, wondering how this particular event could have slipped his mind. Ryou and his father, Shen, were kneeling next to a small round table, where two candles were sitting. Shen was muttering a prayer as Ryou lit first the one, and then the other. Bakura had seen them do this before, and knew why. 

Five days out of every year had two candles sitting on that little table, which was brought out just for that purpose. On Christmas, Amane's birth and death days, and Angeline (Ryou's mother)'s birth and death days Shen and Ryou lit candles for them. Whether it was a Shinto thing or just a memorial sort of thing Bakura didn't know. 

Slowly he backed out of the room, and for reasons he wasn't quite sure of Bakura went into the kitchen and took two candles out of the drawer that held them. Then he went back into the livingroom and quietly kneeled next to Ryou. He lit both the candles he was holding and then set them down next to the two Ryou had lit. 

Bakura wasn't sure why he was doing this. After all, Ryou and Shen had done it plenty of times before. But for some reason, on this day of all days, Bakura felt that the two he held closest to his heart should be remembered as well. 

Ryou smiled softly as he felt the heat from the additional two candles on the back of his hands and the shallow sadness in Bakura's aura. Quietly he began the chant that he always said when they lit the candles. 

"One for Amane, my sister dear. With her watching over me I've nothing to fear." 

Shen, his eyes slightly misted, said his own part, his mind thinking of memories past. "One for Angeline, beloved wife of mine. Without her smile, her touch, my life has no shine." 

Both of them were startled slightly as Bakura spoke too, his eyes fixxed on the two dancing candle flames that represented all he had left of his old life. "One for Jonathon, brother of my soul. In his noble death he has made me whole." He was silent for a moment, and his next words were spoken very, very softly. 

"And one candle more for my little lost Anjil, my tomb robber girl." 

~*~ 

Mrs Valentine gasped from her place at the head of the diningroom table as Mai came in. "Madeline!" 

Mai grinned cheekily and waved at her mother before seating herself at the opposite end of the table. What had shocked her mother was her clothes. She was wearing a belly-bearing red sweater with little brown reindeer prancing across the front, a green mini-skirt, and tall black boots with white fur trimming. The ends of her sleeves and the ankles of her boots had little jingle bells on them that chimed when she moved. She also had a santa hat perched on her head, and the night before she'd streaked over the blue and purple in her hair with green and gold instead. 

"Miz Mai!" 

Mai laughed happily and stood up to hug the matronly old woman who was coming toward her. "Chloe! I've missed you!" 

"Of course you have," the cook and head housekeeper said, winking slightly at her. "Everybody misses old Chloe." She lowered her voice, but made sure it was still loud enough for Mrs Valentine, who sat fuming in her seat, could hear. "And honey, I love your outfit." 

"Thank you." Mai said, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "I don't know whether to keep the hair like it is after New Years or go back to blue and purple. What do you think?" 

Chloe, whose hair was short, wirey and jet black with hints of grey here and there, laughed out loud. "You really want my advise? Stick with the blue. It goes better with your complection." 

Mai bowed dramicly to her oldest friend. "You bet, oh wise woman of the mountain. Now what's for breakfast? I'm starved!" Chloe laughed again and turned to go back into the kitchen without answering, and Mai sat back down. She caught her mother's look and grinned. "No Okaasan, this isn't what I'm wearing to the party tonight. I just thought I'd be festive until it's time to get ready." She readjusted the santa hat on her head, and then smiled thoughtfully. "Although, I may keep the hat." 

Mrs Valentine choked and glared at her daughter, then abruptly stood up from her seat. "Tell Chloe I shall take breakfast in my room. Good day Mai, I shall see you at the party." 

"Of course mother," Mai said, smiling sweetly as her mother stormed off. 

Chloe entered from the kitchen, shaking her head. "You really don't get along with her, do ya' Miz Mai?" 

Mai snorted and crossed her arms, causing the bells on her sleeves to tinkle. "Gee, is it that obvious?" she asked sarcasticly. 

Chloe sighed and shook her head again. "You're lucky Miz Mai. If my daughter did that to me, I'd hit her behind the ear." 

Mai grinned, her face brightening. "I know you would. And speaking of your daughter, how is Michelle?" 

And conversation turned to other matters. 

~*~ 

"So who all is coming?" 

Yugi looked up at Ryou and grinned. "Practically everyone." 

It was just after one in the afternoon, and the two boys were at the Game Shop, getting ready for the party the Motos would be holding that night. Ryou was floating up near the ceiling, hanging streamers without fear of anyone seeing. After all, the shop was closed for Christmas, and Grampa was busy in the kitchen. Yugi was standing below him, tossing rolls of red, green, and white creat paper up to him when he needed them. Bakura was with Grampa in the kitchen, and Yami was in the attic, trying to find the Moto's boxes of Christmas lights. 

"Who's everyone?" 

Yugi frowned slightly in thought. "Us, obviously. And the Ishtars and Shaadi, and the Wheelers, and Tristan and Tea, and Gwen, Amoura, and Hiro, Duke and Mako and Mai, Kaiba and Lisa and Rebecca. I think that's it." 

"Mai can't come though, right?" 

Yugi blinked and slapped himself on the forehead. "That's right, I forgot. Her mom's throwing a party tonight too, so she can't come." 

Ryou whistled through his teeth as he gestured for Yugi to throw him another roll of streamers. "That's still a lot, though. Can we all fit?" 

"Sure, the Game Shop's big, and we're using the whole first floor of the house too." 

"You mean we have the entire livingroom, den, and kitchen to decorate yet?" Ryou said, groaning slightly. "I already have a headache." 

"Then come down, don't tire yourself out. We'll get a step ladder, like normal people." Yugi's voice turned from concerned to impish. "Besides, I think Serenity would be very disappointed if you slept through the whole party." 

Ryou blushed slightly as he let himself down to the ground. "Yugi..." 

Yugi laughed. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry Ryou. But really, you two are the perfect couple!" 

"Well..." Ryou allowed himself the luxery of a wry grin. "I somehow doubt that Joey sees it that way..." 

"Ah, big brother syndrome," Yugi said, nodding. "Don't worry about it. He'll get over it eventually." 

"I hope so," Ryou said, fiddling with a lock of his hair. "Serenity's the sweetest girl I know. I've said it before, but I'm ready to say it again, her aura is one of the most beautiful I've seen. She's kind and gentle, not to mention the fact she's saved my life twice now. Yugi, I think I really love her!" 

Yugi, who hadn't known that Ryou's crush on Serenity was anywhere near love, blinked, then blinked again. "If that's the case Ryou then just go for it! Tell her how you feel. Serenity loves you too, I know it." 

Ryou sighed deeply, his shoulders slumping a little bit. "It's not that easy... Serenity already knows how I feel about her, for the most part. It's just that She thinks she's too young to really be in love. It's like she's treating me like a silly high school crush or something. But I _know_ I love her! I just need to show her somehow..." 

"What did you get her for Christmas?" 

"It's-It's not exactly the most wonderful gift in the world..." 

"It doesn't have to be," Yugi assured him. "As long as it comes from your heart!" 

"....." 

"It's okay if you don't want to tell me." 

"....I'd rather not." 

"Fine with me," Yugi said, even though it wasn't. He wanted to see Ryou and Serenity together as much as he did Joey and Mai. 

The two moved into the den, Yugi dragged a step ladder from the storeroom, and they worked in silence for some minutes more until Ryou said "So when is everyone supposed to get here?" 

Yugi glanced at his watch and blanced. "Any minute actually. Want to run in and tell Bakura and Grampa to wrap it up? I'll go upstairs and get Yami." Ryou nodded and headed for the kitchen door just as the doorbell rang. 

~*~ 

Mai hummed to herself as Chloe helped her with the last few bits of primping for the party. As she'd threatened/promised, the santa hat was still on her head. She was dressed in a long, form-fitting green gown with a wide gold sash and white gloves, which had jingle bells on the wrists. She didn't know why, but there was always something about Christmas that made Mai want to wear jingle bells. Chloe called it "jingle syndrom". As a final touch she picked up her sister's locket and hung it around her neck. Then she went downstairs, where the party had already begun. 

She'd always hated these formal occasions. Stupid men and their giggly ladies talking about the most boring subjects in the world and all the while getting drunk on champein. Whoop-dee-doo. She sighed and hovered in the shadows behind the buffet table, trying to hide from her mother, who was looking for her. She managed to accomplish this for about fifteen minutes, until someone behind her said "Hiding again, pretty lady?" 

Mai jumped slightly and whirled around, then she blinked. "Scott? What are you doing here?" 

Indeed, it was Scott Anius, decked out in a formal tuxedo with a glass of non-alcohalic punch in each hand. He offered one to her, which she gratefully took, trying to keep from blushing. Why had she never noticed how good looking Joey's cousin was? His dirty blond hair had been cut recently, but still managed to flop into his eyes in what seemed to be a family trait. His green eyes sparkled as he grinned at Mai. "Well, Yugi invited me to go to their party at the Game Shop, but I don't feel like I know anyone (except Mako, Joey, and Serenity) well enough to go." He shrugged. "I thought you might like the company." 

"That's nice of you," Mai said, looking down at the floor. "But really, you didn't have to-" 

Scott chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "Actually, I kinda did. Dad got invited, and dragged me along..." 

Mai chuckled. "Well, it was sweet of you anyway." They stood in silence for a few minutes and listened to the music as they sipped their punch. Mai wondered, breifly, why she was so flustered around Scott suddenly. And just as quickly, the answer came to her. He reminded her of Kale. And she'd fallen in love with Kale because he, in turn, had reminded her a lot of Joey... 

Mai bit down on that thought, stuffing it away to the back of her mind. She didn't want to think about Kale, or Joey, not tonight. 

But of course, the memories came anyway. Dancing with Kale on the night that would be their last, kissing Joey at the Battle City afterbash, how she felt like her heart had been ripped in two when both of them ended up leaving her alone... 

She shook her head to clear it as Scott broke the silence a few minutes later. "That's a nice locket." 

Mai automaticly reached up and curled her fingers around the small golden heart. "It was my sister's." 

Scott raised an eyebrow. "Was?" 

"Cecelia's been dead for almost seven years." 

"Oh," he said, deflated slightly. "I'm sorry." 

She realized the band was playing a new song, a waltz, and turned to him with an almost too-bright smile. "Dance with me?" 

Scott smiled at her and took her hand as she led him out to the dancefloor. Mai smiled back, still that same forced, slightly-frozen smile. No thinking about Joey, no reminicing about Kale. Not tonight. Tonight, she was with Scott. 

~*~ 

The Motos' party was in full swing too, and was rather more relaxed then the Valentines'. Grampa, Shen, Isis and Shaadi were in the kitchen, discussing various archilogical things that no one else really cared about. Bakura and Ishtar were up on the coffee table jamming to the music, which was both loud and rock. It was in English, so they had no clue what it meant, but hey, it was cool! And besides the fact, both of them had had just a bit too much eggnog, especially since Grampa had mistakenly bought the alcohalic kind. 

Gwen, on the other hand, whose CD it was, knew the lyrics by heart and loved them to death. She was up on the couch singing into a soupspoon like it was a microphone. "We are young! Heartache to heartache, We stand. No promises, no demands! Love is a battlefield!" Rebecca was singing with her, since she'd been a fan of Pat Benatar for a long time. 

Amoura and Tea were off to one side, laughing and pretending they didn't know the two crazy Americans and the two insane Egyptians who were making fools of themselves. Serenity was nearby, talking with Lisa. 

Yami and Kaiba were currently engaged in a tag-team duel against Joey and Mako, with pretty much everyone else looking on. 

"I sacrifice Alligator Sword so Panther Warrior can attack, destroying your Battle Ox! And I summon Garoozies!" Joey said, grinning confidantly as he slapped his cards onto the counter with such force that it almost put a hole in the glass. 

Yami sweatdropped and looked over at Kaiba, who was beginning to sweat. "Are we losing?" 

Kaiba blinked, then blinked again. "Hai," he finally admitted grudgingly. 

"Come on Ryou, just talk to her!" Yugi urged his friend. The two were standing near the door that connected the Game Shop to the house, and Ryou was obviously nervous, clutching a wrapped package in one hand. 

"I can't Yugi! What if she laughs at me?" 

"She wouldn't laugh," Yugi assured him, then stopped as something caught his eye. "Hold that thought Ryou. Malik has mistletoe." 

Ryou face-faulted. "Mistletoe?! Where's he going with it?" 

"The kitchen, I think." 

"But the only girl in there is Isis." Both of them thought about that for a moment and sweatdropped. "Ewwww..." 

Yugi snorted suddenly. "Hey, does Duke still think you and Malik are girls?" 

"I think so," Ryou said, scratching his head. "Why?" 

"Because Malik just hung the mistletoe over the kitchen door, hasn't moved yet, and Duke is headed his way." 

Ryou snickered. "Do you have a video camera around?" 

"Already on it!" Yugi assured his friend, darting off through the crowd. 

~*~ 

Mai lost herself in the music as it swirled around her, carrying her away. She felt that if someone poked her just now, she'd float away on a cloud of bliss. She was much closer to Scott then she'd intended, but for the moment she didn't care. She leaned in closer to him, and felt his arms tighten around her waist in response. 

For now, if only a few moments, she was happy. Thoughts of Joey and Kale, which usually haunted her at times like this, were mere shadows in the back of her mind. It occured to her breifly that this wasn't the time, nor the place, and that she shouldn't be using Scott to forget about the ghosts (some more literal then others) of her past, but for now she didn't care. 

For now, she just didn't care. 

Which is why it really didn't surprise her when Scott leaned in to kiss her. But, as seems to be the norm in Mai's life, just when she was happiest something arrived to pull her back down into the mud. 

This time it arrived in the form of her mother. 

~*~ 

Malik froze as he heard the voice from behind him. _No, no, oh Ra no! Shoot! Crap crap crap! This isn't happening!_ But, of course, it was. Duke Devlin was standing behind him, and he was still under mistletoe. 

"Fancy meeting you here, my dear Mahala," Duke was saying in a coy voice as he stepped forward. 

Over Duke's shoulder Malik could see Yugi, Ryou, and several others whom they'd beckoned over, all of them snickering. And Yugi, Ra blast him to hell, had a video camera. Malik glared at them, only causing their stiffled laughter to increase. Duke took another step forward, and Malik took another step back, only to find himself backed up against the door. His hands groped behind him, and he grabbed something without really thinking about what it was. 

After that, four things happened in very quick succession. Since Malik had grabbed the doorknob, the kitchen door swung open, allowing Isis, Shaadi, Shen, and Soloman to witness the sick drama unfolding before their very eyes. 

Duke leaned in for the kiss. 

Isis screamed. 

And Malik, being Malik, bit Duke's nose. 

~*~ 

_"Madeline Valentine!!"_

Mai jerked away from Scott as if she'd been burned, turning to face her mother as she approached. Both their faces were a bright red, Mai's from embarrassment and anger, Mrs Valentine's simply from anger. As if a signal had gone out, the crowded dancefloor cleared in a hurry. Even Scott backed away in bewilderment. 

"What do you think you were doing young lady?" Mrs Valentine asked her daughter. 

"Me? What about _you_ mom? Do you have any right at all to meddle in my personnal affairs?!" 

Mrs Valentine's eyes narrowed and she bared her teeth in a snarl. "I have every right, after what happened last summer, and you know it!" 

"Last summer is the past!" Mai practically screamed. "It was over and done with months ago! Don't you even have the decency to let dead dogs lie?" 

"Dead dogs?" Mrs Valentine's scowl grew. "I'm sorry, I thought the dog was your first boyfriend. The one you had last summer was a monkey." 

And at that moment, something deep down inside of Mai, the bit of her that still loved both Joey and Kale, and was quickly falling for Scott, snapped. 

"You have no right to talk about Kale and Joey like that! Not now or ever!" 

And then Mai hauled off and slapped her mother across the face. 

Chloe, watching from the door to the kitchen, covered her eyes with her hand. "Oh here we go..." 

~*~ 

WSJ: *snicker* I was going to end it here, but since Harmony is cooperating and actually givng me ideas today, I'd figured I'd better take 'em as they come. ^^v So enjoy! 

~*~ 

Yugi sweatdropped as he looked over at Malik, who was franticly trying to wash his mouth out. "Kneeing him in the nuts was a bit much Malik..." 

Malik snorted. "Jerk. I bit his nose and he _still_ tried to kiss me. He deserved what he got." 

'He' was, of course, Duke Devlin, who was currently lying on the couch and groaning somewhere in the sotto soprano range with an ice pack between his legs and a band-aid over his nose. Bakura, who'd recovered the camera out of the chaos, was filming all this with a saticfied grin on his face. "This tape shall be passed on from generation to generation..." 

One good thing seemed to have come from the excursion. In running to her brother's rescue, Isis and Shaadi had gotten caught under the mistletoe, just as Malik had originally intended. 

They hadn't come up for air in five minutes. 

Serenity sweatdropped as she watched them. "Is that even possible?!" 

"I suppose," Ryou said, shrugging. "Anything's possible." 

"Oh, I know that," Serenity said off-handedly, still googling at the two Egyptians. 

"It doesn't surprise me," Bakura said as he wandered over, camcorder still in hand. "Back in Egypt they were married, after all." 

Ryou blinked. "Married? Isn't it forbidden to marry when you're a preistess? Or priest, as the case may be?" 

Bakura sweatdropped. "Okay fine, so they weren't exactly married. They did have plenty of kids though." The tomb robber snickered again and moved off to find something else embarrassing to tape. Serenity noted with slight worry that he was headed toward where Gwen and Hiro were sitting next to each other on the couch, and that his step was rather unsteady. Gwen had, in fact, just put Pat Benatar's _All Fired Up_ on full volume, and couldn't have gotten any closer to Hiro if she was sitting on his lap. 

And then Serenity saw something even more worrysome. 

There was another sprig of mistletoe, one that Yugi had hung up over the counter, and Kaiba, Mokuba for now, was sitting right under it. Rebecca was closing in with a strange glint in her eye. 

Ryou must have sensed her embarrassment, because he chuckled and took hold of her elbow, guiding her toward the door. "Let's step outside for awhile." 

Serenity nodded in relief, stopping by the closet to retrieve their coats. Ryou put his on, then helped Serenity on with hers, and then they slid out into the night. They walked in silence for a few minutes, headed nowhere in particular, their breath forming frosty clouds in the cold December air and their feet crunching on the thin layer of snow. After about twenty minutes, when they'd circled the block and were nearly back to the Game Shop, Ryou reached out and caught Serenity's hand, drawing her to a stop. 

They were standing under a street lamp, and Serenity couldn't help but notice how the light made a halo out of Ryou's hair, which was beginning to come out of the braid he'd put it in and was hanging in his face. His cheeks were rosy from the cold, and his ears were bright red, as Serenity was sure her own probably were. His eyes, blank and brown, were sparkling slightly, and his breath seemed quick as it condenced in front of his mouth. "Sere'..." 

"Hai Ryou-kun?" Serenity was sure she was blushing, and out of a desperate attempt to avert her gaze from his face, handsome as she'd ever seen it, she looked upward. "Oh Ryou-kun! It's snowing!" 

Ryou laughed along with her and stuck out his tongue, catching one of the decending flakes on the end. "Hm... Could use more salt." 

Serenity laughed and stood on her tip-toes, flinging her hands up toward the stars and spinning around on one foot. "I feel like I could fly! It's so beautiful out! Oh!!" Her feet slid out from under her suddenly, and she let out a breif scream as she fell. But warm arms were around her then, keeping her from hitting the ground. 

She turned her head, her breath quickening and her face blushing redder then it already was, to look into the face of Ryou as he held her steady on the patch of ice. Slowly he set her back onto her feet, but kept his arms around her. She herself seemed too frozen, and not from the cold, to move. "You should be more careful..." 

"Yeah, I should..." she said faintly. 

As if he'd just realized what he was doing, Ryou stepped away from her, his arms dropping to his sides. Serenity's face wrinkled in slight disappointment. "Ryou..." 

"Serenity-chan," he said hurridly, his face down. "This is for you." He thrust a package wrapped in green and silver paper at her, and she took it in surprise. 

"You didn't have to get me anything!" She couldn't tell if the redness on his face was from a blush or the cold, but she was suddenly feeling hot all over. When he said nothing she began to unwrap the present, which was vaguely box-like. Her mouth formed a little 'o' as the paper fell away to reveil a beautiful wooden music box. "Ryou-kun, you shouldn't have-" 

"Yes I should." he interrupted her. "...It was my sister's." he said a moment later. "It plays the song that she loved the best. I gave it to her when we were just kids, and I thought it'd be appropriate to give it to the girl who's taken her place in my life." 

"Amane," Serenity said quietly. "Bakura told me about her once. She died, didn't she?" 

Ryou nodded mutely. "Hai, she did. A long time ago." 

"So all I am to you is a little sister, an imouto-chan?" Serenity asked, suddenly upset. 

"No!" Ryou said in surprise. "Oh no! So much more!" He stopped, embarrassed. "Open the box Serenity-chan..." he murmered. 

Serenity did so, and smiled at the soft strands of Enya's _Lothlorien_ that drifted out. It was her favorite too. But what caused her to gasp was the little gold necklace sitting on the red-velvet bottom. The chain was rather short, it was ment to be a short necklace, but not a choker, and the clasp was delicate. It was one of those necklaces that the pendant part is a word, usually someone's name. But this one wasn't. 

It said 'agape'. I'd do anything for you. I'd die for you. That's what the Greek word ment. 

Serenity looked up at Ryou in surprise, her eyes wide. "Ryou, what-" 

"This _isn't_ from Amane-chan." Ryou said, lifting the necklace out of the jeweralry box. "This I bought just for you." Stepping closer her reached up and facined it around her neck, letting it rest gently in his fingers for a moment before he stepped away again. "I'll have you know Serenity, that I'd do anything for you." 

"You've already proved it," she answered, tears in her eyes. "You've saved my life..." 

"And you mine," he reminded her. "Now don't cry, you'll get frozen tears all down your cheeks-" He stopped as Serenity threw her arms around him, and smiled into her hair as he slid his around her waist. "So I guess I didn't have to wait a year, huh?" 

Serenity grinned as she 'accidentally' knocked the music box gently into the back of his head. "Baka!" 

"Itai..." he said good-naturedly, his mouth curving up into a smile. "Can I get a kiss to make it better?" 

Serenity smiled coyly. "If you want..." 

They had just shared their second kiss when the door to the Game Shop opened, sending light spilling onto the street. "Oy!" they heard Tristan yell. "I found them! Hey Joey, your sister's making out with Ryou!" 

"Tristan!!" The two on the street chorused with a laugh, pulling away from each other. They headed for the Game Shop, Ryou's arm around Serenity's waist, and they couldn't help but grin at the music, yet another Pat Benatar song. 

_We belong to the light, we belong to the thunder,   
We belong to the sound of words we've both fallen under.   
But whatever we deny or embrace for worse or for better,   
We belong, we belong, we belong together..._

"Merry Christmas Ryou." 

"Merry Christmas to you too Serenity." 

()()()()() 

WSJ: :p I love fluff! ^__^ Other then that I only have one other comment... 

PAT BENATAR RULES! 

Chapter 12: Everyone either heads home or crashes at the Game Shop, but they're roused early the next morning by a frantic Scott and a hysterical Chloe, who can't find Mai anywhere. A city-wide search is carried-out, and Mai's found unharmed. Mostly. ^~ Joey decides to give a peice of his mind to Mrs Valentine. 

God bless minna-san!!! 


	12. Parental Supervision

WSJ: *red in the face from anger* I'm really glad I get to write this chapter right now, because I'm extremely ticked with my tou-san right now.... 

Ryou: *blink* Why? 

WSJ: Oh, a lot of reasons... *sigh* Sometimes I wonder if he's really out to make my life hell... *snickers* Most probably. ANYWAY... I've started another contest. Called **101 Ways to Snog En Route to the Game Shop** ^^v Rules are simple! 

1) Pick any strait couple. No yaoi excepted. 

2) Write a story in 500 words or less that ends with those two characters "snogging" (kissing/making out) on their way to the Game Shop. This is actually surprisingly easy to do. 

3) Send the entries to brood_sj@hotmail.com and make sure that your story is in the body of the e-mail, since my computer can't open attachments right now. Actually, for some reason I can't get into hotmail at all, and I have to go to the library to check my e-mail. And the library's computers can't open attachments. So please just make it easy and put the story in the body of the e-mail. 

4) Only the first 101 entries will be accepted. 

5) The winner will get the honor of saying they won, as well as being able to request a fic, which me and my two judges (Kage NoTenshi and Brood Mayran) will then collaberate on. ^^v 

6) _Do not_ post your story on FF.N. All 101 contestants will be put into a 101 chapter story/collab under my account (although obviously you'll all get credit for your fic). ^~ You'll see what I mean... 

7) HAVE FUN!!!! 

And that's pretty much it. ^~ So get typing ya'll! 

Disclaimer: You know the drill. And I _ain't_ listing all the OCs again... 

WSJ: *singing with Pat Benatar* It's all so confusing, this brutal abusing... They blacken your eyes and then 'pologise, 'Be daddy's good girl, and don't tell mommy a thing.' 'Be a good little boy, and you'll get a new toy, and tell grandma you fell off the swing.'.... 

Ryou: *sweatdrop* Hell Is For Children... With SJ listening to music like this, why do I wonder why she writes abuse fics so much??? 

WSJ: Oh, HCG-chan? ^^ Sorry for the bit of similarity to your Bakura/Kawari fight. v_v I couldn't help it, really I couldn't... 

Ryou: *grumbling* Suuuuure... 

()()()()() 

Yamis of Tokyo U: Freshmen 

Chapter 12: Parental Supervision 

Scott didn't even pause in running as his cell phone went off. He just yanked it off his belt and put it to his ear. "Moshi moshi." 

"Anything?" 

"Nope, sorry, there's no sign of her anywhere Chloe! I'm worried." 

"You and me both kid. But then again, Miz Mai's done this before." 

"I know. That's what worries me. I'm going to go to the Game Shop and recruit some help. We need to scour the whole city." 

"M'kay. You keep in touch, you hear?" 

"You bet. Ja." 

"Ja." 

Scott hung up, but didn't even take the time to put his phone back on his belt. He just held onto it as he sprinted the last few hundred yards to the Game Shop. It was just after six in the morning, and he was running on adrenaline. After Mai had slapped her mother, Mrs Valentine had called her daughter some rather unflattering names, and hit Mai back, although considerably harder. She would have leaped on her stunned daughter, had a couple men nearby not held her back. Mai had taken the opportunity to run off, and she hadn't been seen since. Chloe, Scott, and several others had been searching all night. Mrs Valentine had locked herself in her room and refused to come out. 

Scott hurled himself at the door and began to pound on it, yelling at the same time. A minute or so later it was opened by a bleary-eyed Hiro, Mako yawning behind him. Some people had gone home after the party, but several, Mako and Duke included, had simply fallen asleep in the Game Shop. "Scott?" Hiro asked muzzily, "Wha-" 

Yami and Yugi came downstairs, Joey behind them. "Scott?" 

Scott didn't waste time on pleasentries. "Wake everyone up. Get dressed! Now!" 

"What's wrong?" Yami asked in that sort of pharoah-y voice you can't ignore. Soloman was at the top of the steps now, and Duke was awake on the couch. Malik and Ishtar were poking their heads in from the kitchen, where Malik'd fallen asleep on the kitchen table, for reasons unknown. Serenity was beginning to come to from where she'd curled up in an armchair. 

"Mai's gone missing." Scott said, still slightly breathless. "We've been looking all night. She got in a fight with her mom and then just ran out." He went weak in the knees suddenly and sat down rather hard in the entry way. Serenity ran forward and helped him over to a chair, which he sank down into gratefully. 

"We'll take over from here." Yami said, Yugi having already run upstiars to get dressed. "You get some rest." Scott nodded thankfully, and the last thing he heard before sleep claimed him was Yami throwing around orders. 

"Malik, call everyone you can think of. Mako, make us some coffee, breakfast, whatever. We'll make this the base of operations. Everyone have a cell phone? Good. Let's go, and keep in touch." 

"Shouldn't someone go back to Tokyo U in case she went back there?" Duke said, standing up as most everyone moved for the door. 

"I will." Hiro volenteered. "I'll get Gwen to come with me." 

"I'll stay here with Scott and Mr Moto." Mako said. "In case she comes here." 

"Right," Yugi said, nodding as he came back downstairs, buttoning up his shirt. "Everyone else, let's get searching." 

"Hold it a second," Ishtar said, coming out of the kitchen. Malik could be seen behind him, talking rapidly to someone over the phone. "Wait at least until everyone else gets here. Then we can _organize_ things, at least." 

Serenity snapped her fingers suddenly. "And since this is base of opperations, Ryou can stay here and keep track of and in touch with everyone." 

"Huh?" 

Mako, Duke, and Grampa looked at her, clueless. She blinked, and then gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. "Oops..." Everyone else looked at each other uneasily. 

"They'd find out anyway," Yugi said eventually. "But it's not really our place to tell them..." 

"_What_ are you talking about?" Duke asked, putting his hands on his hips. "Shouldn't we be out looking for Mai?" 

"That we should," Bakura said as he pushed open the already half-open door and stepped inside, Ryou and Shen close behind. "So why are we all standing here?" 

Everyone just stared at him for a moment, until Mako ventured to ask "How'd you three get here so quickly? Malik just now started calling everyone..." 

"I'm sorry Ryou!" Serenity said, looking away from her now-official boyfriend. "I... Let it slip." 

"It's okay." Ryou said, giving her a hug. "They'd find out anyway." He turned back to the puzzled trio, one arm still around Serenity's shoulders. "I am, in fact, a telepath. A psychic, if you want. I teleported the three of us over here as soon as Malik called. Here, watch." He dropped his arm from around Serenity, and turned to face her. She began to glow faintly white, and then rose into the air. She giggled, and Ryou let her fall, catching her in his arms and giving her a kiss that made Joey growl. 

Grampa, Duke, and Mako just stared at him, and Duke blinked, then blinked again. "Wait, so... You're not a girl?" 

Ryou face-faulted. "_No_. We were just messing with you that day. Sorry Duke..." 

Duke went pale, then turned hurridly to Ishtar. "You don't have a sister... Do you?" It was more a statement then a question, and Duke looked as if he'd just been sentenced to death row. 

"No-o... None other then Isis..." Ishtar said carefully. "Just Malik." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder toward the open kitchen door, where Malik could be seen, still making phone calls. 

Duke sweatdropped. "I kissed a guy." he said in perfect Heero Yuy monotone. 

"Attempted to kiss," Yami corrected. "Malik bit you, remember?" 

Duke reached up to his gauze-covered nose and frowned. "Yes... But still, I attempted to kiss a guy..." 

And then the Dice Master promptly fainted. 

There was a round of sweatdropping, a lot of tugging as Duke was hauled onto the couch, and by that time everyone else had arrived. They gathered in the den, leaving Scott and Duke in the livingroom, and held a council of war. 

"Can't you just find her aura Ryou?" Shen asked once everyone was settled down. 

Ryou sighed and shook his head from his place next to Serenity. "Not as such, no. There's too many auras in the city. Trying to pick one out is like looking for the one black grain of sand at the seashore; it should be easy but isn't. But if you guys all went out searching, I could 'tag' your auras and be able to keep track of you. It's a lot more complicated then that, but that's about as well as I can explain." 

"You can keep track of us if you know where we are to begin with, but not if you don't." Tea translated, and Ryou nodded. 

On arrival, Amoura and Gwen had been informed of Ryou's powers, and were dually impressed. Lisa and Rebecca, however, had not been included in the search, since Ryou was nervous about letting too many people know. Mokuba had wanted to let everyone know about Seto still being alive, but Seto, Yugi, and Yami had managed to convince him otherwise, thankfully. 

"So what're we going to do?" Joey asked. He was pacing nervously at the back of the room, too concerned about his former flame to sit. He was so concerned, in fact, that he wasn't even bristling at the fact that Serenity and Ryou were holding hands, and were sitting practically joined at the hip. "It's almost ten degrees out there! If Mai ain't someplace warm she could freeze!!" 

If that statement hadn't been so true, Yugi might have ribbed him about still caring for her. But this was too serious for joking. 

"Hiro and Gwen are already on their way back to TU." Bakura said. "I say we split up the city and take it sector by sector, in teams of two." 

Ryou nodded. "Two auras are easier to sense then one. Plus, you'll be able to cover more ground that way." 

"Where would she be most likely to go?" Yami asked. "We should start with those places first." Grampa had pinned a big map of Domino Cito to the wall, and now Isis got up to go stand next to it, grabbing a marker from the desk as she went. 

"The park," she said, circleing it on the map. "And downtown. When Mai gets mad, she shops." She outlined those areas too. "So there's two sections right there." 

Joey was suddenly beside her, and he took the marker out of her hands. "The cemetary." he said unexpectedly. "She told me once that whenever she gets really upset, she goes and visits her sister." 

"And the waterfront." Kaiba spoke up. Seto and Mai had been good friends for a long time. "She likes to watch the water." 

Everyone who knew him well was rather shocked to see Joey just nod and circle the docks. Usually he'd make some sort of comment or insult aimed at Seto, but he was too preoccupied even for that. 

"He's really worried," Serenity whispered to Ryou. "I can see it in his eyes." 

Ryou nodded. "Hai. He's really tense." 

Joey drew up the rest of the map into about three mile square sections. "Right then, there we go. Who's going where?" 

"Ryou, Scott and I are staying here." Grampa said. "Everyone else should be out searching. Including Duke, who should be woken up." 

Everyone agreed and split into pairs, and one by one they were asigned sections of the city. Grampa wrote their names on the sections of the map so he'd be able to remember who was where. While Ryou was keeping track of everyone mentally, Grampa would be on the phone keeping up with them by cell and taking notes on their possitions and anything they found. 

But things were looking bad. 

By noon, Scott had woken up and gone out with Chloe, who'd stopped by to check in about that time. Ryou had practically exhausted himself keeping up with everyone and, dispite his claim that it was impossible, sifting through crowds of auras in an attempt to find Mai's violet-red aura. Every hotel had been checked, every bording house scoured. Nothing. No sign of Mai. 

At one, Hiro called to say that Mai was nowhere to be found at Tokyo U but that he and Gwen would keep searching the area. 

At two, just as Joey and Serenity came back from the shopping district with another negative report, Grampa got a call from one of the servents at the Valentine's house, whom Chloe had told to call Grampa if anything happened. The servent said that Mrs Valentine had gone into a rage, and was tearing up Mai's room and would someone please come quick because no one could get her to calm down. 

When Joey heard this, his face went red and his eyes narrowed. "Serenity, stay here with Ryou and Grampa. I'm goin' to see Mrs Valentine." He started to leave the Game Shop, but paused and turned to look at his sister. "And no hanky-panky with Ryou, telepath or not!" And then he stormed out. 

Serenity passed Grampa, who was on his way upstairs to the bathroom, and entered the den. Ryou was sitting on the couch pretty much limp, his eyes closed and his breathing deep and even. For a moment Serenity thought he was asleep, until he held out a hand. "Serenity," he said in a hoarse voice. "Come here. I can't hold it much longer and I want to be sure of what I'm seeing." 

Serenity's eyes widened, but she nervously stepped closer to him and kneeled down by his feet. He took her hands in his and leaned forward so that their foreheads met. 

And then the sky exploded. 

~*~ 

When Joey knocked on the Valentine's door, it was opened by Chloe's daughter, Michelle. She was about fifteen, and looked very worried. Joey remembered her from the days of when he'd been dating Mai. Apparently, she remembered him too, because her eyes lit up when she say him. "Mister Joey! Oh thank kami! Mrs Valentine's gone crazy!" 

"She's up in Mai's room?" Joey asked, but didn't wait for an answer as a crash was heard from upstairs and, indeed, the direction of Mai's room. He broke into a run, taking the stairs two at a time, and threw open the door so hard that it slammed into the wall behind it. The noise startled Mrs Valentine, who dropped the vase she'd been holding, allowing it to smash on the floor, and whirled around. 

She was dressed in a bathrobe, her long hair a shade lighter then Mai's tangled into a frizzy mess. Her eyes were wild, and became more so when she saw Joey. 

"You!" both of them shouted at the same time, and Mrs Valentine growled. "I don't know what Madeline sees in you..." 

"Yeah? Well I could say the same." 

"How dare you-" 

"No," Joey said, his temper snapped. "How dare _you_. She's your own daughter, your own flesh and blood! Yet you treat the servents better then you treat her! Why?" 

"Because," Mrs Valentine growled, her voice low. "Because Charles always loved her more then he loved me! And then after he left, Madeline went around thinking she was all high and mighty. Even Cece loved Madeline more then she loved me!" 

_Charles,_ Joey thought. _Oh yeah, Mai's dad. And Cece's her sister. I remember now._ "Well you don't need to treat her like crap." he said out loud. "I can see why they loved her more. Mai's sweet, and kind, and everything you're _not_." 

Mrs Valentine screamed at him then, and a moment later Joey's head had been whipped half-way round with three deep scratches from artificial fingernails across one cheek. He stayed like that a moment, and then slowly turned back to look at Mai's okaasan, his face impassive. Almost lazily he reached up to his cheek, and the tips of his fingers came away bloody. "Ah. That was nice of you. That's why no one ever loved you then. Do you always try to push people away?" He looked at Mrs Valentine's shocked face. "I thought not. You dye your hair, and wear coloured contacts and too much make-up and clothes that adhere to your body like tape. But that's not you. That's just a mask. Sure, Mai does all that too, but there's still Mai underneith. So who's under your mask?" He watched her sink down to the floor, her eyes staring at nothing. And then he turned and left, leaving Mrs Valentine weeping on the floor for the love she never had. 

~*~ 

Serenity gasped, and tightened her grip on Ryou, feeling his fingers tighten in responce. _It's okay_ his voice arrived in her heart _I'm still here. I'm always here._

They were no longer sitting in the den of the Moto house. In fact, even though Serenity could still feel Ryou's arms around her, his hands holding hers, she couldn't see him beside her. Images rushed by at amazing speed, leaving her with a strange sense of vertigo, like she couldn't tell which way was up, and which was down. 

_Almost there. Hold tight._

And now, instead of the images flicking by on either side, it was like she was running through them head-on. She could see them, but only for a second before it disappeared and was replaced with another. 

But that wasn't a good way to describe it. It wasn't just pictures, but sounds and smells and tastes and feelings, all in one, all at random. Or seemingly at random. 

She saw herself in a wedding dress, and Mai helping her adjust her veil. And then a door opened and Gwen stuck her head in, laughing and telling them to hurry up... 

And she saw the pyramids of Egypt and what had to be a scene of the past, Bakura running over the sands with a woman clothed in rags, sacks heaping with gold thrown over their shoulders. They were laughing, and for a second Serenity could feel the scorching sun in her face... 

Cold ice creame was in her mouth, and she and Tea and Amoura were walking along what appeared to be the edge of some woods, with a row of cabins on the other side of them. Amoura was saying something in French, and Tea was trying to translate in between the bursts of laughter... 

And then it all turned sad. She saw Joey kneeling on the ground, a dragon of some kind in front of him, obviously dying. He looked over his shoulder at her and there were tears in his eyes... 

She saw Ryou, crying his hardest, sobbing as he kneeled next to a bed, his face burried in the sheet on top of a body... 

And the same scene, except he was younger, so much younger, and there was a little girl who looked like him by his side, and both of them were crying, and Serenity could taste the tears. 

_There! That one! Look!_

And there was Mai, curled up in a ball in some forgotten corner. She was still dressed in the tattered remains of her gown, but didn't have so much as a shawl over it. Her breath formed haze in front of her, and there were trails of frozen tears down her cheeks, and her lips were tinged blue, and there was snow all around her... 

The image slipped away, and Serenity felt rather then heard Ryou curse. 

_No! That gives us no clue as to where she is!_

Then they were back in the Moto's den, and Grampa was coming back from the bathroom. 

Serenity fought back a sudden wave of nausea and looked up at Ryou, whose breathing was shallow. He looked completely worn out. "Is it always like that?" she whispered. She wasn't sure why. 

"Hai," he said after a moment. "Always. Just snatches of past and future, and possible futures. But it gave us no clue as to _where_-" He fell silent suddenly, and after a moment said, half to himself, "I must. It's the only way." And there was a sense of the universe expanding, and Serenity's eyes widened. "Ryou NO!" 

But of course, he did it anyway. 

~*~ 

He'd been here before, although only once before. He was vulnerable here. Anyone or anything could take advantage of him. But here, he knew everything. Here, his mind encompassed the whole world. He knew who and what and where everything was. 

Everything. 

He saw her, sitting alone on top of Tokyo Tower. He knew that she would die. But he refused to let her give in to that destiny. 

He wasn't supposed to interfere while he was here. To interfere meant that anyone who was like him, could sense like him, would know where he was. 

But he had to take that chance. He would not let her die. 

And so he found them, his friends, and he took their thoughts and _twisted_... 

And then they knew. They knew where she was and were going to save her. 

But They knew too. 

And They were coming for him. 

And he would not be able to resist... 

~*~ 

Bakura froze in his tracks, his eyes wide. Yami stopped and looked back at him. "Bakura, come on!" 

"No..." Bakura said, half to himself, half to Yami and half to his aibou. "No Ryou, you _can't_!" He turned on his heel and sprinted for the Game Shop, a bewildered Yami trying his best to keep up. 

Even with no mental link, no power in the Ring, no connection to his hikari, a Yami always Knows. 

~*~ 

Gwen blinked and looked at Hiro. "Did you just say something?" 

The two of them were sitting in the lounge of the Tokyo U freshmen dorms, waiting for any word on Mai. They'd scoured the entire campus and the surrounding area, and had found no sign. Besides, it was beginning to get dark, and the temperature was dropping. 

Hiro shook his head, just as muddled. "No, but I heard it too. It said-" 

_Go to Tokyo Tower. She is there..._

"....Yeah, just like that." 

The two sat and looked at each other for a moment, and then as one got to their feet. "Come on," Gwen said, grabbing her coat and some extra blankets off the couch. "Ryou's never been wrong before!" 

"Or so Bakura says..." Hiro muttered, but followed her toward the car. 

~*~ 

"They are coming..." 

And then he went limp in Serenity's arms. 

~*~ 

Jalila grinned, and beside her the True Pharoah laughed. This was, indeed, good fortune. 

()()()()() 

WSJ: ^^;; 

Ryou: OO;;;;;; What the crap!?!?!?! 

WSJ: ...... Um....... No comment....... ^^; Anyway... I want to know who everyone's favorite OC is! I personally like Chloe, for some reason, and I like Amoura a lot too, even though she isn't mine. 

Also, who should Mai end up with, Joey or Scott? I already know, but you guys do have a say... 

Chapter 13: Ryou's fighting for his freedom, and finds out that maybe he has friends in high places after all. Because he has to win quick; without his soul, his body will eventually die... And meanwhile, Mai's in the hospital with hypothermia, and neither Joey nor Scott will leave her. Sheesh, this isn't sibling rivalry, it's cousin feaud! 

God bless minna-san! 


	13. Battle at the Heart of the World

WSJ: *grinning widely* Hey all! I'd just like to say that this chapter was inspired by my friend Chase. ^^ He's so awesome! *hugs* 

Ryou: >.> What's with the paint? 

WSJ: *looks down at her paint-splattered hands* ^^ I was painting in art class today. One last big project before the year's over. :p It's this really awesome pic of Amoura!!! *bounces* I wish I could scan it and show everyone... 

Oh, and another thing, next Thursday and Friday is my state writing competition. ^^v Wish me luck! I'm getting nervous already... But we get to stay overnight in a hotel and go swimming! *runs off to find her swimsuit* 

Ryou: *pouting* I wanna go... 

Bakura: *walks by with a duffle bag over one shoulder* What, you're not? 

Ryou: You are? 

Bakura: Hell yeah! Someone has to keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't drown Greg in the pool... 

Ryou: ?_? 

WSJ: ^^; Greg-chan's my partner. We started out with a team of six, but only Greg and I qualified to go to state. He can be a jerk sometimes, but so can I, and we've already agreed to have this huge, all-out water fight when we get there. 

Bakura: *dryly* Oh joy. I shall _so_ look forward to it... 

WSJ: ^^ If you say so. 

Disclaimer: Ah, you know the drill.... 

WSJ: Yay! Someone loves Gwen!! *hugs Ruby*Luna* ....Wow, I just realized something... 

Bakura: *rummaging around in the closet for his teddy bear* What? 

WSJ: ......That it's very disturbing that you have a teddy bear...... But anyway, ^^ I've written over 50,000 words on this fic! It's amazing! It's already longer in chapter that any of my fics save VotH, and bigger in words then any I've _ever_ done before!!! 

Ryou: *blink blink* Wow... All for me! ^^ I love my fans! 

WSJ: >.>;; 

Ryou: ^^;; 

WSJ:.....Anyway, I'm surprised you guys like Scott so much! I originally created him as an antagonist, to cause friction between Mai and Joey, and you guys actually like him. ......That's actually kinda disturbing. ^^; I'll try and put more of him in in the future then. 

Scott: Oo; I have fans? 

WSJ: v_v;; It'd be even more scarry if you had fan_girls_... 

Scott, Bakura, & Ryou: *shudder* 

WSJ: ^^v 

()()()()() 

Yamis of Tokyo U: Freshmen 

Chapter 13: Battle at the Heart of the World 

When Yami and Bakura burst into the den, Serenity was kneeling on the floor with Ryou in her arms, nearly hysterical. "Ryou wake up! _Wake up_ dangit!" 

Bakura frowned, and Yami looked at him questioningly. "What's happened?" 

"Ryou's gone to the Heart of the World again," Bakura said quietly, so as Serenity not to hear. "It almost killed him the first time, and he was sleeping it off for days." 

"When was that?" 

"About the time you and Ishtar were bringing me back from the dead." Bakura's frown deepened. "As close as Ryou could explain it to me, it's a place where all of humanity is spread out before you, like a completed puzzle. You know _everything_. But you're also vulnerable. Anything that knows you're there can get to you." 

Yami's mouth formed a little 'oh' of realization. "Oh no..." 

Bakura's own fears confirmed, the white-haired man's face turned grim. "Hai. The True Pharoah, if he is that other telepath that Ryou's been sensing, can get to him easily. And so can Jalila. She's got magic, at least." 

"Isn't there _anything_ for us to do?" Both men turned to Serenity, who contrary to their beliefs had been listening the whole time. 

"Iie," Bakura shook his head mournfully. "It's up to him now." 

"Oh Ryou..." Serenity looked down at her fallen love in her arms. "Have faith. We're all behind you." 

~*~ 

"Look, there she is!" 

"Mai-sempai!" 

Gwen and Hiro ran toward the shivering woman, trying their best not to slip on the icy walkways of the uppermost deck of Tokyo Tower. Mai was leaning up against one of the iron bracers, her legs curled up underneith her gown. She was pale, and it looked like she was wearing blue lipstick and eye shadow, although both freshmen knew she was not. For one terrible moment as she dropped to her knees beside Mai, Gwen thought that they were too late, and she'd frozen to death. 

But when Gwen put a hand over the blond's nose and mouth, she could still feel the breath, shallow as it was, and she sighed in relief. "Here, gimme those blankets Hiro. We've got to get her someplace warm." 

The next half-hour was rather insane, but finally Mai had been settled into an intensive care unit at Tokyo Central Medical Center. The doctors weren't sure if she'd make it or not, having spent several hours out in the cold and wind with little to no protection. 

Joey and Scott arrived at the same time to find Gwen curled up in a chair with her eyes closed, and Hiro pacing back and forth across the waiting room floor. Both men ran forward, bursting with questions, but Hiro silenced them with a wave of his hand and pointed at Gwen. "Shhhh..." 

At first Joey thought she was asleep, but then he saw her lips moving and began to hear her faint words. "Dear Father which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven... Oh Lord, please protect Mai!" They were in English, so none of the three had any idea what she was saying, but the meaning was pretty clear. 

Scott blinked. "She's praying?" he asked Hiro quietly, so as not to disturb the American. 

Hiro nodded. "Hai. I dunno who to, but I hope whoever it is is listening..." 

The hours passed with agonizing slowness. Everyone called Joey or Scott's cells at one point or another, hoping for news about Mai and worrying about Ryou, who still hadn't woken up. Everyone had gone back to their homes save for Bakura, Shen, and Serenity, who were staying with Ryou in the Game Shop, and the four at the hospital with Mai. Bakura and Serenity had done their best to explain to everyone what Ryou had done and why he hadn't come concious again, and so now they were all doubly-worried, for both Ryou and Mai. 

At about midnight, when Gwen's prayers began to falter and became more and more punctored with yawns, Hiro stood up and stretched. He went over to Gwen's side and gently shook her. She yawned and wrapped her arms around his neck, and after a moment of surprise Hiro picked her up. She murmered something in English and nuzzled closer, causing him to blush slightly. Laughing to himself, Scott helped Hiro get Gwen into her coat, and then into his own, and waved goodbye as Hiro carried her out to the car so they could go back to TU for some sleep. 

"What cute kids..." 

~*~ 

The next thing Ryou was aware of was a sharp smell of blood, mingled with mud and what had to be swamp. His eyes snapped open, and to his slight-surprise he found he could see. He was standing on some sort of a battlefield, soaked in blood and mud, just as his nose had told him. Above him earth spun gently, the beautiful coloured lights that were people's auras spread out like a living tapastry. 

This was the Heart of the World. 

There was a wavering in the air in front of Ryou, and suddenly Jalila stood there, smirking at him. "So, little one, come to join the war?" 

"Never," Ryou scowled. "I came to save a life." 

"And make your own forefeit." Jalila said, her smirk widening. "You leave yourself vulnerable, and you will be ours." 

"Never," Ryou repeated, automaticly dropping into a fighting stance. "I'll never serve you or your master." 

"Who said we wanted you alive?" Jalila asked darkly. She snapped her fingers, and suddenly there was an army behind her. An army of Duel Monsters. But it was more then that, Ryou realized suddenly as he saw Firas and Briar-Rose and Kuroi Karasu among them. It was an army of dead Duel Monsters, ones that had been destroyed in the past. 

But suddenly there was a shimmering in the air right in front of Ryou, and a creature more beautiful that any he'd ever seen was standing between him and Jalila, sheilding him from her sight. She had wings, one of them an angels, the other a dragon's. Ryou thought for an instant that it was the Change of Heart, but then remembered Bakura's story of when he'd been dead and saw Fate for who she was. 

"I won't let you harm him!" Fate said, scowling at Jalila, her fists clenched. The Goddess of the Ring was carrying a staff, not unlike Jalila's own, and it crackled slightly with pent-up magic. 

"Oh really?" Jalila asked, raising her own staff. "Who's going to stop me?" 

"I believe that would be us." said a new voice. Someone stepped up beside Fate, twirling his own staff around almost lazily. Ryou just stared. He had a dark tan, like Malik, and his hair was a very very light blond. He was wearing a pair of baggy pants and was shirtless and shoeless, with a pair of black fingerless gloves on his hands, tiny ankh-earrings in his ears, and silver dog-tags around his neck. His eyes, when he turned around to glance back at Ryou, were surprisingly large, but were rather scarry too. They were dialated and pupilless, rather like Shaadi's but black from edge to edge. The staff he held looked rather like a much longer version of the Millenium Rod. 

"Hatred," Fate nodded at him as if she were simply greeting a comrade. She nodded at the other five as well, as they stepped up to stand beside her, forming a solid wall between Ryou and Jalila's army. 

Death was simply, well, Death. He was a skeleton in a long black robe, holding a scythe in one skeletol hand. That's about all there was to him. But the others were and are rather more difficult to describe. 

Time had shoulder-length brown hair and narrow blue eyes, and was dressed from head to foot in silver Chinese-style robes. A gold watch was hanging from a chain around his neck, and he was carrying a staff that looked for all the world like a gold-and-silver version of the Time Wizard's staff. 

Passion was a skinny young girl, looking only about eleven or twelve, with clothes that were literally barely there. Ryou had to look away from her or risk blushing. She had pale orange hair that was chopped off unevenly at her shoulders, and a small ankh on a chain around her neck. Her staff rather resembled an ankh as well, which was no surprise as that she was Goddess of the Ankh. 

War looked like what Ryou had always imagined to be Santa Clause, at least in body. He was fat and round, and wiggled like a bowl full of jelly when he walked. But his hair was brown and his beard was neatly trimmed, and there wasn't any Cheerful Fur Lining around the edges of his coat. Instead of a staff he carried a long broad sword with dark red stains on it that Ryou could only hope were rust. When he saw Ryou staring, War gave him a wide grin that reveiled clean and white (if a bit crooked) teeth and made his green eyes sparkle. 

Desire was at first glance an old gypsy fortune teller. But on second glance she was much more. Her skin and hair were the darkest, being almost African in looks. Her wirey black hair was swept up into a bun, and at places was streaked with grey. She was wearing long blue and purple robes, and unsuprisingly had a black velvet patch over her left eye (her being Goddess of the Eye and all). The staff she held in both hands looked much like a fancier version of a Dark Magician's. 

"Ha!" Jalila laughed. "You seven would dare stand against my army?" 

Fate's eyes narrowed. "Iie, we wouldn't dare. But this is a plane where the dead can return. And there are many dead who would gladly fight for the sake of Ryou Bakura." There was a near-blinding flash of light, and now Fate had gathered an army as well. With a roar, the battle was joined. 

Ryou knew how to fight, but had never actually hurt anyone, with his martial arts or otherwise (save the one time Briar-Rose had had him mind controlled), and so he stayed close to Fate as she swept through the enemy ranks with her magic. Every now and then, the telepath would think he'd catch a glimpse of a familier face in the armies, but he could never be sure. Once, he was almost possitive he saw Jonathon cut down Firas with his sword. Another time, a Blue Eyes Toon Dragon burst into sight for a moment, and Ryou could have sworn he saw Pegasus and a blond woman who looked a lot like Mai behind the rabid gerbal-thing. 

He heard a roar, and whirled with a start to see a Dragon Zombie fade into dust not two feet away, a sword planted in it's neck. Ryou stared at the woman who had killed it, his eyes wide. He wanted to call out to her, but couldn't. She looked up, and for a moment their eyes caught, an unseen and unfelt wind blowing the girl's hair into her face. Amane smiled at him and hefted her sword in salut, and then she was gone, back into the battle to save her brother's soul. 

~*~ 

Joey and Scott both stood up when the doctor entered the waiting room. "Any news on Mai?" Joey asked breathlessly. 

The doctor nodded, and both men waited with bated breath for his diagnosis. "She will fully recover, but it will take a long time. She's awake now, though, and asking for..." he stared hard at his clipboard, trying to read his own handwriting. "A Mister Joey Wheeler." 

"That's me," Joey said, stepping forward and trying to ignore Scott's jealous stare across his back. 

The doctor eyed him. "Husband or brother?" 

Joey flushed, but whether from anger or embarrassment Scott couldn't tell. "Neither. Ex-boyfriend." 

The doctor raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment. "Second door on the left." 

Joey hesitated, and Scott made a rumbling noise in his throat that was half-way between a cough and a growl. "Go on Joey. I'll call everyone else and tell them the good news." Joey nodded thankfully at his older cousin and headed down the hallway. He entered Mai's room to find her half sitting up and swathed in more blankets then a dozen grannies could knit in a year. 

"Mai?" he asked softly, his voice concerned dispite himself. "Mai-chan?" 

Mai opened her eyes, blinking sleepily. "Hiya Joey. How'd you find me?" 

"It wasn't me." Joey admitted, pulling up a chair next to her bed. "Ryou found you. Gwen and Hiro are the ones who brought you in." He didn't add the fact that Ryou's finding her had led to him being knocked out and in who-knows-how much danger. 

"Ah," Mai said. "That would explain the crazy yelling in English that I heard." 

"Probably," Joey agreed. When Gwen got really stressed out, she'd either start speaking with a really heavy American accent (ie, slower then a lame snail) or would forget to speak Japanese completely and start babbling in English. 

Suddenly Mai looked concerned, and she shifted to bring one arm out from under the covers to reach toward him. Surprised, Joey leaned forward and allowed Mai to run her fingers over his cheek. "What happened?" 

It was only then that Joey remembered the three scratches across his cheek that Mrs Valentine had givin him. He grinned sheepishly and reached up to catch Mai's fingers in his own. "Got in a fight." 

"With who?" Mai asked, alarmed. "Are you alright?" 

"Fine." Joey said, his lopsided grin widening somewhat. "I desided it was about time someone gave that mother of yours a peice of their mind. But _dang_ those fake nails of hers sting!" 

Mai just stared at him for a moment, and then to Joey's surprise and embarrassment burst out crying. Awkwardly he pulled her into his arms, and she began to cry into his shoulder. They stayed like that for awhile, and when Mai's cries were reduced to sniffles and Joey started to pull away, Mai tightened her arms around him. "Stay," she whispered. "Please?" 

Joey blinked, and then slid out of the chair so that he was sitting on the bed next to Mai, and she was leaning against him. He tucked the blankets in around them both, and smiled down at the top of Mai's head. "Sure Mai-chan. But why?" 

"Ano..." Mai bit her lip. "You're warmer then all the blankets in the world right now." 

Joey blinked, and then began to laugh. 

About a half-hour later, when Scott came in to see what was taking Joey so long, he found them asleep, curled up together under the blankets. Mai's head was pillowed against Joey's chest, and he in turn had his arms around her, keeping her from all harm. The college senior grit his teeth, trying to keep from strangling his cousin where he sat. 

"Go ahead and have your moment with her Joe, 'cause sooner or later I _will_ make her mine..." 

~*~ 

The tides of the battle seemed to be turning, in favor of those fighting for Ryou. Hatred had found a horse somewhere (the purple colour reveiled it as having belonged at one point or another to Gaia the Feirce Knight) and was riding around playing cricket with the bad guys' heads. He seemed to be enjoying it a bit too much. Passion and War were fighting back to back, which was really no surprise since they were the Elements of the Ankh and Scales and had, after all, more or less the same owner. Death was whacking anyone in his way with his scythe, leaving behind a very dismembered enemy. Time and Fate were both sticking close with Ryou, and he couldn't tell what Desire was doing. 

All at once Jalila leaped up from somewhere and with a cry raised a sword she'd gotten from who-knows-where to slice it downward and into (and through) Ryou. He barely had time to yell before Fate was in front of him. The blade sliced into her shoulder, and she cried out in pain. Time hissed and pointed his staff at Jalila, mumbling the beginnings of a spell. 

Ryou couldn't see what happened next, because suddenly his own shoulder let loose with a blossem of pain. He cursed very uncharacteristicly and clamped a hand over his shoulder, looking around and wondering who or what had struck him. But just as suddenly as the pain came, it vanished. In shock, he moved his hand and saw that his hand and shirt were bloody. But when he pulled up his shirt, his shoulder was unmarked and unhurt. 

When he thought to look back to the battle, it was over. Jalila had fled into a retreat, taking her army with her. Most of Fate's army had gone as well, save for the seven Elementals. Fate was on the ground with Passion and Time kneeling on either side of her, and Hatred hovering near her head. All the others were gathered around. 

And, in this place where he knew Everything, Ryou saw the Elementals of the Items in a new light. 

Fate looked around, and when she saw him unhurt she smiled weakly and made a gesture. Everything began to fade and blur, and Ryou couldn't help but wonder when they would meet again. 

~*~ 

"Kyaa!" 

Yami and Serenity looked up at Bakura as he clamped a hand over his right shoulder and hissed in pain. "What is it?" Yami asked, suddenly more alert. 

"No clue." Bakura gritted out. "It just suddenly- oh." He pulled his hand away, reveiling a rather large blood-stain on his shirt. He pulled said shirt over his head, and there wasn't a mark on him. Yami whistled quietly. Serenity gasped and pointed at Ryou, where a similar red stain was beginning to show, and who also was beginning to wake up. "Ryou?" 

"Mmph..." Ryou groaned slightly, and then, with Serenity's help, sat up. "Where am I?" 

"The Game Shop," Bakura said. "What in Seven Hells happened?" 

"You know." Ryou said, shaking his head slightly to clear it. "I went to the Heart of the World. Any news of Mai?" 

"Hai hai," Bakura said impatiently. "She's fine. Now what happened?" 

Ryou frowned slightly, trying to gather his thoughts. "Jalila attacked me, but Fate was there, and she protected me. They were all there." 

"They?" Yami asked, although he was pretty sure he already knew the answer. 

Ryou nodded. "The Elements of the Items. Fate of the Ring, and her brother Time of the Puzzle. Hatred of the Rod, and Death of the Tauk, who, rather appropriately, are brothers. Passion and War of the Ankh and Scales, who are lovers, and Desire of the Eye. They protected me... All of them fought for me..." Suddenly his hand moved to his shoulder. "Fate was wounded. And I shared the wound." His voice was filled with a sense of wonder. 

"As did I, aibou." Bakura said. "Are you sure you're all right?" 

Ryou nodded. "Hai." He yawned, and then grinned wryly. "Or perhaps not. Sleep would be a good thing." 

"That it would." Yami agreed. "My aibou is already asleep. Good night to you, then." 

"G'night." 

()()()()() 

WSJ: ^^ 

Ryou: >.> 

Bakura: ^.^ *cuddles his teddy* 

Chapter 14: It's back to Tokyo U for our heros, where they get back to rehersals for the play. And oh dear... Ishtar is back to his perverted ways, it seems... 

God bless minna-san! 


	14. Amour Means Love

WSJ: *looks sad* 

Ryou: ^^? What now SJ? 

WSJ: *pouts* I didn't do so hot in my writing competition... 

Ryou: *pats her on the head* 'Tis okay. There's still other awards you can win that the judges haven't decided on yet. 

WSJ: *smiles* I know. ^^ I must have really had YGO on the brain Friday, or something, because all three of the stories I wrote related to YGO in same way. The first one was about Egypt, the second was about two secret agents named Gwen and Harmony trying to outdo the evil millionaire Maximillion Crawford, and the third was about Hatred and Fate (and their sons, Death, War, and Attempted Assasination). ^^; Yup, I was hyper... 

Ryou: *sweatdrop* 

WSJ: :p Anyway, this chapter sets up the basis for yet another love story. Not a triangle, necissarily, but a love story nonetheless. With a very odd couple. Let's review, shall we? We've got Ryou and Serenity, who are most definately an item. Then we've got Hiro and Gwen, who are flirting shamelessly with each other. We've got Yugi and Tea and Yami, which I know I haven't talked about much but will become major later on. And don't forget the hints of Isis/Shaadi I keep throwing in, and the bit of Mokuba/Rebecca during the Christmas chapter. ^~ And we've got the whole Joey/Mai/Scott thing. 

Ryou: Oo; So who's left? 

Bakura & Scott: *exchange glances* Amoura. 

WSJ: *grins wickedly* Brood has approved this couple, but even _she_ thinks it's super-weird. ^^v I like it though. 

Bakura: *reads ahead* o_O; You would... 

Scott: *looks around carefully* SJ, I heard a rumor from Serenity a few days ago... 

WSJ: *blink* What? 

Scott: I heard a rumor that... *drops his voice to a whisper* I have _fangirls_!!! 

*From far away, the sound of a sugar-high "Wai!!" is heard, and Scott ducks momentarily* 

WSJ: *grins* That you do. And Jonathon too. Gee, who'd've thought. *scratches her head* Hey, I guess this'd be a good time for a small announcement. This has actually been true all along, maybe you guys just didn't realize it. As long as you **ask me** first, feel free to use any of my ideas or OCs in your fics. ^^v My Elements are in several stories already. 

Bakura: *shudders* _Negative Chaos_ by High Crystal Guardian... 

Ryou: *gulps* _Daughter of Anubis_ by Millenium Slinky... 

WSJ: *nods* But Scott and Jonathon and Gwen and them are open for use too, just ask me first. ^^v If you haven't realized by now, Amoura actually isn't mine. She was created by a very good friend of mine named Brood. ^~ And, since I haven't been paying very much attention to her or Gwen-chan lately, they get almost the entire chapter to themselves! ^^v You get to learn about their families. 

Ryou, Scott, and Bakura: >.> Freak. 

WSJ: ^^v I know! On to the fic! Tallyho!!! 

Ryou:....That's the last time you get sugar at 10:00 at night... 

Disclaimer: I don't own Amoura, Yunet, or Lisa, who are Brood's. I do own Scott, Gwen, Hiro, Jonathon, Takeo, and several others, however. ^^; Yay me. 

()()()()() 

Yamis of Tokyo U: Freshmen 

Chapter 14: "Amour" Means Love 

_

Quote of the chapter:

_

"This always happens when I get mixed up with GIRLS!" -Tasuki (Fushigi Yuugi) 

"WHAT THE HECK?!?!" 

That, of course, was Seto Kaiba's first exclamation when he walked back into his home after spending a long day at Kaiba Corp. It was two days after Christmas, the day after Mai'd been found and hospitalized. It had been a long day too, and he was glad to be home. But what a home to come back to... 

/Seto, be nice! You're supposed to be me. Be nice, be nice, be nice!!/ 

Seto was trying to do his best to ignore his little brother's voice in the back of his mind. For once he really missed his old body. Right now he really wanted to beat something up, and Mokuba's frame was too puny to harrass a squirrel. 

"Kaiba-kun!" 

For an instant Seto thought it was Lisa, until he turned around. It was indeed a bouncy foreigner, just not Lisa O'Kelley. "Gwen, what are you doing back here? I thought you were up at TU with Hiro." 

"Well, I was, but then I remembered that I hadn't finished decorating the mansion, and I didn't want to leave Amoura stranded here by herself, so I came back!" 

The American had her blond hair up in pig tails that trailed to mid-back, with a Santa hat perched slightly cock-eyed on top. She had on jeans with bells around the bottom, and a black sweater with a red and white candy cane on the front. With bells on the sleeves. It seemed that Gwen, like Mai, suffered from Jingle Syndrome. Hiro and Amoura waved sheepishly at Kaiba from behind her. 

The house had been totally transformed. All the servents were wearing Santa hats (if they weren't, they had to answer to Gwen). Streamers were hanging from every conceivable place you could hang streamers from. The outside of the mansion was strung over with about fifity-thousand Christmas lights, with a giant inflatable Santa Clause in the yard yelling "Ho ho ho" in a recorded bass voice. Holly and evergreen branches were strung all up and down the banisters of the staircase, and a huge, twenty-foot Christmas tree was in the middle of the reception room. It was decorated with little ornaments that Kaiba had no idea (and didn't want to know) where Gwen had gotten. 

They were, of all things, chibi Duel Monsters. They reminded Kaiba rather strongly of Toon Duel Monsters, and he twitched mentally. There were Dark Magicians and Blue Eyes White Dragons and a couple Red Eyes Black Dragons, and what had to be a giant chibi-Exodia on top. There were also a couple others he couldn't readilly identify. 

Unfortunately, Mokuba was curious. "What are those other ornaments?" he asked, pointing out the few that neither Kaiba brother could identify. 

Gwen grinned widely, reminding Kaiba of a certain other American, from an anime that Mokuba loved to watch. A certain American who had a long brown braid and a weird tendency to crack jokes while using a twenty-meter robot to destroy towns... 

"That's Mahi Vilo, Amoura-chan's favorite Duel Monster, and that one's Hiro's, Swordstalker, and there's mine, the Witty Phantom." 

This made Seto shudder and twitch again. Gods, it just had to be the Witty Phantom... 

Mokuba laughed as he remembered the same thing his brother was; being trapped in Seto's virtual world and cornered by a Witty Phantom. "I think it's cute!" 

//You would...// Seto muttered darkly. 

Gwen laughed with him and clapped her hands. "Yay! So do I Moku-chan! Come on, supper's ready. Amoura and I cooked it ourselves." 

Mokuba let his eyes widen. "Yourselves? Why? We have servents to do that sort of thing." 

Gwen gave him a funny look. "I suppose. But I like cooking. To tell you the truth, back home I'd cook for my younger siblings all the time, and I really miss it." 

"What, your mom doesn't cook?" Hiro asked as Kaiba led the way into the dining room. 

For a moment Gwen's face went dark and she scowled. "No. Mom left us a long time ago, so it's just me and dad and the kids." If she wasn't so well-mannered, Gwen would have spat. "And every few years daddy brings home another girlfriend. And then she'll get pregnant, and some sob story will convince my dad to take the baby." 

Amoura and Hiro, on either side of her, actually recoiled a bit from the bitterness in her voice, and they entered the diningroom in silence, letting the subject drop. 

~*~ 

There was a quiet knock on the door, and Gwen looked up from where she was sitting by the vanity in the room Kaiba had loaned her (he had plenty), writing in her diary. Her long hair was up in a towel-turban from her recent shower, and she was dressed in a pair of boxers and a t-shirt, with a ratty, slightly moth-eaten bathrobe over top. Deeming herself decently clothed, she called out "Come in." 

The door opened and Amoura peeked in, then smiled and came all the way in, closing the door behind her. Her long green hair was wet, but was pulled into a braid. She was wearing a long nightgown that had ruffles and lace trimming the edges. "My goodnezz Gven, iz zat 'ow all Americanz zleep?" 

"What, in a pair of Spongebob boxers and a Tweety Bird t-shirt? Somehow I doubt it. Just the ones like me." 

Amoura laughed and sat down on the bed, pulling her feet up under her. "Zome 'ow I doubt zat zhere are any Americanz quite like you Gven." 

Gwen laughed and stood up to give a mock bow. "Merci, merci!" In the process, she dumped her diary from her lap, sending several pictures skittering across the floor. Amoura jumped to retrieve them before Gwen could. "Are zeze of your family?" 

Gwen chuckled dryly and began fishing around in her bag. "That's them. I have some better ones. Here they are." She flopped down onto the bed next to Amoura, showing her the various pictures. "That's daddy and girlfriend #6. I can't even remember her name, that was so long ago." 

Amoura looked at her in surprise. "Number Six (read: sees, the French number six) and yet it vas zo long ago you can't remember 'er name?!" 

Gwen shrugged, picking at a loose thread on the blanket. "Mom left a long, long time ago. My next-youngest sibling, my brother Josh, who's fifteen, is actually the only full-blooded sibling I've got. The rest are all half-siblings from dad's various 'girlfriends' and 'passtimes'. His girlfriends are somewhere up in the twenties now." She rolled her eyes and sighed. "And, invariably, he gets someone pregnant at least once or twice a year. See," 

Here she pointed at the pictures Amoura was holding again. "That's Josh there. And that's our next-youngest half-sibling, Kristen, who's..." Gwen paused in thought. "Fourteen. I think. Maybe only thirteen. And there's Andy, who's twelve, and the girl beside him is Molly, who's ten. Micah's seven, Shayla's four, and I got a letter last week telling me about Jake, who's a newborn." She made a face. "I only know about half of them very well." 

Amoura's eyes were huge as she counted heads. "Four girlz and four boyz?! 'Ow do you ztand it?!" 

"That's the point." Gwen said, sighing. "I don't. That's three-quarters of the reason I really pushed to come to Japan for college. I still can't wait to visit them this summer though." She grinned. "Josh and Kristen are probably the only ones who'll have missed me, but I don't mind. I know this sounds evil, but I really miss my home, California, more then I do my family. Surfing, sunning, and warm climates. Japan's way too cold in the winter." She cocked her head curiously at her green-haired companion. "What about you? Do you miss France?" 

"Oh oui, oui, I do," Amoura said. "My family iz vonderful. My little brozzer muzt be getting zo big!" She smiled. "He iz duce," she explained, holding up two fingers. "Two. Mama and Grandmama muzt be 'aving a 'ard time without me zhere." She laughed, and her eyes sparkled in thinking about it. "Grandmama was going to come and live with Mama while I am away, but I do not know if zhe can ztand it! Julien, my brozzer, iz very... 'Ow you zay? Hippie?" 

Gwen blinked a few times. "Oh! _Hyper_." 

"'Iper, oui. He iz very 'iper. And zen zhere iz Franz, and Annalee, and Jacques, who are all like part of zee family anyway-" 

"Slow down!" Gwen insisted, holding up her hands. "Let me get this straight. You have a mother, and a grandmother who lives at your house while you're gone, and a two-year-old brother. Got that. Now who are those other people?" 

Amoura grinned at her. "You vant me to go zlower? But Gven, I kept up with your family, and it iz much bigger." 

Gwen snorted again. "Really? Then which of my half-siblings is four?" 

"Uh..." 

"See?" 

".....Oui. I vill go zlower zen. Franz iz our butler. Zometimez I think he'z older zen my Grandmama, but vee vouldn't trade 'im for the world. Annalee iz our maid, and zhe iz only a little older zen me. We are good friendz, like you and I. Jacques iz our cook. Oh Gven, you vill 'ave to come vizit me in France zome time! Jacques iz a mazter vith food!" Amoura licked her lips and pantomimed rubbing her belly. "Very very good! You 'ave no zerventz?" 

Gwen coughed. "First off, I live in America, where slavery and serventry are outlawed unless you become a maid or a cook or something by choice. Second, we're too dirt poor to afford any servents. What about your dad? Is he around?" 

Amoura looked down, one tear leaking out of her eye to splash against the comforter. "No. He died about the time Julien was born." 

"Oh..." Gwen looked down too, and then, with a sudden, perky change in direction said "Well, now we know about each others' families. What do you think about love?" 

Amoura looked up, blinking away a few more tears. "Love?" 

"Yeah, sure," Gwen said. Amoura realized that changing the subject, grinning widely, and talking brightly were Gwen's ways of saying she cared. She was trying to cheer her up. Amoura smiled gratefully, and Gwen flashed a returning grin before continuing. "Like, how old do you have to be before you're allowed to date, what kind of guy do you go for, do you believe in true love, ect, ect, ect." 

"Oh," Amoura said. "Vell, my name, Amoura, is taken from the French word for love, amour. Zo I guezz my very name meanz love..." 

"That's nice..." Gwen said. "Gwendolyn means 'new moon.' Huh, right..." She rolled over onto her back, tucking her arms behind her head and closing her eyes. "What I believe about love... Someday, I'll meet just the right man, and we'll fall in love. It'll be just like Cinderella..." She giggled. "You do know who Cinderella is, right 'Moura?" 

Amoura snorted. "But of course. You forget zat Zinderella vas a French fairy-tale _first_. You zay just zee right man... 'Ow do you know vhen you meet 'im?" 

"Weeeell..." Gwen scratched her head. "I think, somehow, you just know." She smiled faintly, her eyes still closed. "He's the one who will be your friend when no one else will, who will defend you when no one else feels like defending. He'll come in and sweep you off your feet, and I don't mean that literally. And then he'll bundle you up, and carry you off into the snowfall- er, I mean sunset." 

Amoura grinned, rather amused. "Zure Gven, vhatever you zay. May I guezz zat you 'ave your eye zet on Hiro Kavigami?" 

Gwen blushed slightly. "Oh, oh, you've got me 'Moura. But he's soooo perfect! He's handsome and smart and funny..." 

"Doez he know you feel zis vay about 'im?" 

"Weeeell..." 

"Gven!" 

"........ I'll tell him eventually........" 

Amoura threw her hands up in frustration. 

Within the next week, everyone drifted back to Tokyo U from vacation, including, of course, the gang from Domino. The week after school started up again, Mai was released from the hospital. But there was a problem. She'd been told to stay in bed for at least three weeks. At _least_. She'd be well enough in time for the play in the middle of April, but there was no way she'd be able to go to practices all through January and February. She talked to the director and resigned from playing Elsa, since she wouldn't have enough practices to learn her lines and blocking. Of course, the director wasn't very happy with this, but there wasn't anything she could do. 

After one practice about a week-and-a-half after school started again, which the cast had stumbled through without their Elsa Von Scriber (Mai), most of the cast and the director were hanging around, trying to figure out what to do about that. Amoura, Malik, Ishtar, and Ryou were also there, the latter three because they were helping out back stage, and Ryou because he'd come to walk Serenity back to her car, much to Joey's dislike. 

They were all sprawled out on the front few rows of seats, Scott and Joey and Serenity, Yugi and Yami and Tea, Bakura and Ryou and Malik and Ishtar, Gwen and Hiro and Amoura, Mokuba and Rebecca and Lisa, Takeo and his little cousin Rhian. The director was pacing back and forth, running her hands through her hair. Finally she turned back to Scott and Joey. "You're _sure_ she can't get well sooner?" 

"We're sure," Joey said for what seemed like the tenth time. "We need a new Elsa." 

"But there is no one else!" the director said, still pacing. "What we need is a miracle..." 

"What about Amoura?" Gwen asked, motioning to the protesting girl. "She's a great actress! I don't know why she didn't get a part in the first place." 

The director stopped, and a strange expression flickered across her face. "...Could you do it?" she asked Amoura after a moment. Reluctantly, the green-haired girl nodded. The director looked thoughtful for a moment. "Okay then, we'll try it. Joey, Scott, on stage. Does anyone have a script Amoura can borrow?" 

Someone did, and the director gave her the page. "Righ then, Captain, you've just come home, and you've brought Elsa and Max, two dear friends of yours, with you. Maria and the children have just exited, and Max and Elsa, you've just entered. You're arguing about where the Captian's property line ends, and he points it out to you through the window. Ready? Go." 

"I know I'm right Max," Amoura said, coming onstage with Joey behind her. 

"We'll see," Joey supplied his line. 

"Zhere he iz. Ghey-orge," Amoura stumbled through the Austrian name and pronunciasion. "'Ow far down the mountain doez your property go?" 

Scott stood up from where he'd been sitting on a chair onstage and pointed out toward the audience (eg, out the "window"). "You see that stone wall, way down there? That's the property line." 

"You zee Max?" 

"I didn't argue," Joey protested. 

"I know. I 'ate winning vithout a fight." 

All through this dialogue, a series of strage expressions were flickering across the director's face. Finally she stood up and waved the clipboard around. "Enough! Enough! No one told me Amoura had an accent!" 

Amoura stiffened slightly, and bit her lip. "Vas I no good?" 

"No good?" The director snickered, turning to look at her. "You were terrible! Elsa's supposed to be Italian, not _French_!" 

"Elsa's not supposed to have blond hair with blue streaks either, but you cast Mai." The speaker of that accusation was, of all people, Bakura. 

The director waved him off. "Hair can be hidden, voices can't." 

"So?" Bakura asked, jumping to his feet. "Joey's got a brogue, and yet you cast him as Max. I'm semi-British, and you put me as Franz. _No one_'s supposed to be Japanese, but we all are. We've got five Japanese kids and the sixth and seventh are American, while they're all supposed to be Austrian. So _what's wrong with a French Elsa_???" 

The director eyed him. "Joey's brogue and your British can be hidden. Amoura's accent is too heavy." 

"Now you're contradicting yourself," Bakura challenged. "I thought you said voices couldn't be hidden." 

"Slight accents can. Not _hers_." the director waved her clipboard at Amoura. "I'll bet she can't even sing..." This was mumbled half under her breath, but both Amoura and Bakura heard it. Amoura ran off stage in tears, and Bakura growled low in his throat. In all of two seconds, he had the director by the collar and was lifting the shorter woman off the ground. "Take. That. Back." 

"Oh, I'm sorry," the director sneered at him. "Did I insult your girlfriend?" 

Bakura bit his tongue to keep from cursing. Afraid he'd slip back into his old ways and severely harm her (although he didn't think anyone would blame him), he dropped her to the floor and turned his back on her. He started for the doors Amoura had run through, then turned back one more time. "Oh yeah, I quit. Find yourself a new butler." Then he turned and ran to find Amoura. 

Everyone else was sitting frozen, and as the door slammed loudly behind Bakura, they began to shake themselves out of it. "Yikes..." Yami muttered. "Director-baka's lucky to be alive..." 

Gwen stood up and made as if to go after Bakura and Amoura, but Ryou put out a hand to hold her back, a funny look on his face. "No Gwen. Let them be." Gwen stared at him a moment, then shrugged and sat back down beside Hiro. 

"Hey Director-baka, now we're down two actors!" There was general laughter all around as the nickname, which literally meant 'idiot director' caught on. 

The director gingerly stood up, retrieving her clipboard. _'Director-baka. Wonderful. It could be worse, I suppose. It could be a mutiny.'_

~*~ 

"Amoura?" Bakura asked quietly, kneeling down next to where the French girl was curled up in the corner of the girls' restroom and crying. Normally, he wouldn't even dare go in there. But since it was after hours and no one was likely to come in, and since he couldn't find Amoura anywhere else, he'd chanced it. "Are you okay?" 

Amoura babbled something in rapid-fire French, then sniffled and wiped her nose on her sleeve. "Vas I vreally zat bad?" Her accent was a lot heavier, due mostly to the anxiety, and Bakura had to concentrate to make out her words. Then he said reassuringly, "No, of course not. The director's just an idiot." He added a couple explenatives onto the end to emphasize it. 

Amoura giggled quietly through her tears and then hiccuped. "Merci boucoup, but you don't have to lie to me." 

"I wasn't!" Bakura said. "You're a great actress! Where did you get skills like that?" 

Amoura shrugged one shoulder. "Oh, 'ere and zhere. But vhy did you devend me? I didn't zee anyvone elze jumping to my rezzque." 

Bakura smiled lopsidedly. "Oh, I'm just quicker on the draw then anyone else, I guess. I heard what the director was saying, and just lost it. Sorry if I embarrassed you." 

"Oh no!" Amoura looked shocked. "Never!" All at once she threw her arms around him in a hug, her face buried in his shoulder. Bakura stiffened, and for a moment there was hot sun at his back, and scorching sand beneath his feet, and he was holding his lover and tomb robbing partner in his arms. But just as quickly, he was back in Tokyo U, crouched in the corner of the girl's bathroom, and the woman in his arms was French. 

~*~ 

In the auditorium, not caring at the strange looks he received, Ryou threw back his head and laughed in pure joy of the happinesses that would be, which he could clearly see. 

()()()()() 

WSJ: *snickers evilly* 

Bakura: Oo;;;;; 

Scott & Ryou: *laughing their butts off* 

Chapter 15: Director-Baka casts Amoura as Elsa (or risk the rest of the cast quiting like Bakura had). Opening night draws ever closer, and Ishtar begins to come up with the Ultimate Panty-Raid. 

God bless minna-san! 


	15. The Show Must Go On! aka Ishtar's A Perv...

In Bruce Lansky's _35,000+ Baby Names_ the entree for Gwendolyn is as follows: (Welsh) white wave, white browed; new moon. Literature: the wife of Merlin, the magician. See also Genevieve, Gwyneth, Wendy, Wynne. 

WSJ: ^^v So that's my reasoning behind Gwen's name. It does mean 'white forehead', but it also means 'new moon'. And, for those who've been asking me, the meaning of Rhiannon is also Welsh, and means witch, nymph, or goddess. 

Scott: >.> I think I'm scared of you now... 

WSJ: ^__^ Goodie. And no, Scott's name has no particular meaning. His name came from a character in one of my novels that never went anywhere. And while we're on names, Hiro's "full name" (which I don't think I've mentioned yet) is Hiroshi, which means "generous". I really named him after Hiro Ohata though, a character from J. Austin Wilde's _Ranma Goes to War_ series of fanfics. 

But anyway, I'm getting off topic. v_v;; On to the fic! 

Jonathon: *looks around nervously, doesn't know why he's here* SJ doesn't own YGO. She doesn't own Amoura, Yunet, Amoura's family, or Lisa either, because they're Brood's. She does own me, Scott, Hiro & Gwen, and various other OCs. 

WSJ:....Oh, and anyone who's seen Bakura lately, send him back to me, okay? 

Scott: Oo; What? 

WSJ: *_o Bakura ran away. Something about not being forced into relationships... 

Scott & Jonathon: *snicker* 

WSJ: On a side note, I'd like to draw attention to today's date, **6-12-03**. ^^v It's my two year anniversery! Exactly two years ago today is when I started writing for FF.N! Happy b-day to me! *dances around* 

()()()()() 

The Yamis of Tokyo U: Freshmen 

Chapter 15: The Show Must Go on!   
(aka the Half-Naked Nuns chapter ::Rated PG-13::) 

_

Quote of the chapter:

_

"This isn't life in the fast lane, it's life in the oncoming traffic." ~(Terry Pratchett) 

"Gven!" 

Gwen rolled over at the insistant whisper, dislodging Yunet from her hair as she did. "Mmph? Amoura, it's..." she squinted at the clock. "Two AM. What do you want?" 

Amoura's face was flushed in the darkness as she leaned over the edge of the bunk to look down at Gwen. Tea slept unaware in the other bed across the room. "I zink I 'ave found my prinze charming!" 

Gwen blinked. "Your what?" 

"I 'ave been up all night zinking about it. 'e devended me vhen no one elze vould, juzt like you zaid. And 'e iz zo handzome too!" She giggled, reminding Gwen rather more of herself then the Amoura she knew. 

"Whoa, back up about two sentences! You mean _Bakura_?! _Yami Bakura_? Ryou-kun's older _brother_?!?!" Gwen was wide awake now, wide awake and rather disturbed. 

"Oui!" Amoura said, grinning. ""e is zo vonderful! Juzt like you zaid Gven." 

Gwen blanced. "Me and my big mouth..." 

"Vhat?" 

"Never mind. Look, Amoura, just because he stood up for you doesn't mean he's the right guy for you! He's your friend, it's what friends do. Yugi stands up for me all the time, but that doesn't mean that I love him. Besides, you really only noticed the guy today! At least give it some time. That's the entire tragity in Romeo and Juliet, you know." 

Amoura looked confused. "Vhat iz?" 

"The fact that they went too fast. I mean, the entire play encompasses twenty-four hours. If they'd just held off the wedding for, say a few months, they may not have had to die in the end. Or at least," she added. "That's what my English proffessor says." (^~v Luv ya' Mrs. G!!) 

"If you zay zo..." 

(WSJ: Help me mommy! The writer's block hurts! *cries*) 

Long after Gwen had gone back to sleep, Amoura lay awake. In fact, she was still awake at 6AM when Tea got up to get ready for her early morning English class. "Amoura?" she asked in surprise when she found Amoura in the small livingroom/kitchen of their dorm, drinking a lukewarm cup of coffee. "What are you doing up?" 

Amoura sighed deeply. "Couldn't zleep..." 

"Well I think that much is obvious." Tea said, setting about making herself a cup of tea and Amoura more coffee. "Anything you want to talk about?" 

Amoura stared into her coffee cup for a minute. "'Ow do you know vhen you are in love?" 

Tea blinked. "I suppose you just... Know. Is that what's wrong? You think you're in love?" 

Amoura nodded, slightly tearfully. "Oui, but I do not zink 'e noticez me at all! And sometimez, I zee a look in 'iz eyes, like 'e iz already in love vith zomeone elze." 

"No obvious girlfriends though?" Tea asked, and Amoura shook her head. "Hm... Is it anyone I know? Maybe I could talk to him." 

Amoura sniffled and nodded. "Oui. R'ou's older brozzer, Bakhura." 

The tea cup Tea was holding slipped through her fingers and smashed on the tile floor, sending hot tea splashing across her slippered feet. She appeared not to notice. _"Nani???"_

"I zaid... Bakhura. R'ou's brozzer..." Amoura repeated, almost meekly. "Iz zhere zomezing vrong vith zat?" 

Tea was staring at her slack-jawed and bug-eyed. "_Bakura?????_ But, but you _can't_ love him! He's- he's a kami! A yami-kami!" (Note: Yes, that sounds retarded. But it literally means "dark spirit" in Japanese) She clamped a hand over her mouth to keep from adding _Albeit a mortal one._

"A..." Amoura stumbled over the unfamiliar Japanese words. "A... black ancestor?" 

"....." Tea sweatdropped slightly, mad at herself for letting something about Bakura's past (which he'd tried his best to bury) slip. "Close enough. Amoura, the guy is not good news! You don't even want to know some of the things he's done in the past! He's lied, cheated, stolen... He's even killed!! And you know all the scars Ryou has that everyone wonders about? Bakura gave him most of those!" Amoura gasped, and Tea knew she should just shut up, but she was on a roll. "He says he's reformed, better, and Ryou sticks up for him. But..." Tea shivered and lowered her voice. "The look in his eyes when he was threatening Director-baka yesterday... Amoura, I was so scared he'd hurt her!" 

Amoura's eyes were huge. "He'z... He'z not vreally like zat! He can't be!" She was remembering the gentle Bakura, the one who'd held her while she cried and wiped away her tears. She couldn't think of him as hurting anyone, especially not his little brother Ryou, whom he protected at every turn. 

Apparently Tea read this in her eyes, and sighed deeply. "Look, I know I can't stop you Amoura. Just do two things for me, okay? Wait until after the play, and then, if you still think you might love him, go talk to Ryou. He knows Bakura better then anyone." 

Amoura thought about this for a minute, and then nodded. "Oui Tea, I'll do zat. Zank you." 

Tea smiled. "You're welcome Amoura. Yikes! I'd better get to class! See ya'!" 

"Bye..." After Tea left, Amoura set about cleaning up the smashed teacup in silence. 

"Mew?" 

Amoura looked down to see Yunet lapping at the puddle of tea and chuckled. "You zilly kitty. Tea is not good for you." she sighed. "Love iz zo much eazier vhen you are a feline, no?" She finished cleaning up the spilled tea and shattered cup, then decided to go to Ryuji's for breakfast. 

She put on a coat and wound a scarf around her neck, then slipped out into the still-frigid January weather. (I don't know much about Japan's weather patterns, but since it's on the same latitude as where I'm from, Ohio, I'm just going with the same basic patterns, kay? ^^) 

Ryou was out in the field between the dorms, doing his usual morning kata. He waved at her as she walked past, and she waved back. For a moment she was tempted to stop him right there and then and ask him if what Tea had said about Bakura was true, but then she shook her head. _'No, you promized Tea you vould vait until after zee play. You owe 'er zat much, at leazt.'_ So she kept walking. 

Duke (who always seemed to be stuck with the morning shift) looked up in surprise when she came in. "Amoura, right? Welcome." 

The cafe was sparse this early, the only other patrons being a blond woman, a green-haired guy, and a girl with brown hair and glasses who were sitting together in the corner. The blond and the guy were eating at a pace fast enough to put Ranma Saotome, Lina Inverse, and Usagi Tskino all to shame, while the woman with glasses just watched them, sweatdropping every now and then. 

Amoura stared at them, and Duke followed her gaze, laughing. "Ah, them. They pop in here about once every two or three months, deplete our food stores, then go back to wherever they came from." Both sweatdropped as the brunette with glasses got fed up and started yelling at the other two to stop eating. The blond looked up momentarily, said something which sounding vaguely like "Ne onee-chan? But we're _hungry!_" and then went right back to chowing down. Duke decided to get Amoura to a table before it escalated into violence. "Right this way." 

The day passed, as days will, and it soon came time for the day's practice. Director-baka announced that after "careful consideration" (there were a lot of snorts to that) she'd cast Amoura as Elsa. Really though, she was just trying to avert mutiny, since several other actors and actresses, including but not limited to Serenity, Gwen, Yugi, and Yami, had threatened to quit if she didn't. After a lot of pleading, Bakura had grudgingly come back to continue to play Franz. 

At first Amoura was uncomfortable, but with everyone else's encouragement she gained more confidence. Opening night drew ever closer, and everyone began to tense in anicipation. The show was set for the 21, 22, and 23 of April. At the end of February, the cast becan experimenting with various costumes. 

Now, it was already mentioned that Ishtar and Malik were working backstage. Malik was assistant sound-and-light director, and Ishtar was on the costume commitee, heaven knows why. Duke was also on the costume commitee. And believe you me, when Duke and Ishtar get together... It's not pretty. 

Take this little vignette, for instance. 

It was roughly a month before the performance, and costume hunting was going on in earnest. The music room had been hastily confinscated for the girls' changing room, and the art room for the guys. (All the "culteral" stuff was housed in one building, just a hop and skip from the drama center) 

"Duke! Ishtar! Get your hind ends over here!" 

The two teens exchanged long-suffering looks and trotted over to Mrs. Benson, who was in charge of costumes. She thrust several bundles of black cloth into their arms and gave them each a stern look. "Take these over to the nuns, they've only got about half their costumes because I couldn't find the rest. Here they are, so take 'em over." 

"..." 

Duke and Ishtar headed outside and across the small lawn to the Culteral Center, where Ishtar toed the door open and they stepped in. "So where do you look for nuns?" he asked. 

Duke gave him a sour look. "In the conservatory, baka." 

"Conservatory? I thought it was an abbey?" 

"Same thing. Mostly." 

Further down the hall a door opened and Serenity stepped out, followed by Gwen and Lisa. They were each dressed in their "play clothes", which were supposedly made out of curtains. They passed the boys on their way back to show Mrs Benson how their costumes fit, and waved breifly. After they were gone, Ishtar exchanged a long look with Duke. 

"Should we?" 

"Hell yeah!" 

(((Note: This next scene, while not hentai, comes close. V_v;; Definately PG-13. If you don't want to read it, skip down to where I've put the line of stars.))) 

They headed for the girls' changing room, and Duke nudged it open with one elbow. "Ladies! We've brought more costumes and two lovely men to go with it!" He and Ishtar stepped inside and tried not to drool. 

If I may butt in here again, it should probably be noted that Ishtar is, as earlier shown, a pervert. Duke is mostly just a womanizer. Of course, I say mostly. All men (except on the account of Ryou, as he's rather lacking in the eyes department) long to see what Ishtar and Duke were now seeing. Half-naked women, en masse. This is, of course, because all men are perverts. This may or may not be true, but Akane seems to think it is. 

The room froze. Several girls dove franticly behind various racks of clothes, and little Rhian shreiked and climbed into the piano sitting in the corner. All eyes were on the two men, save the eyes of the two men, which were everywhere else. 

Thankfully, no one was actually stark naked, but most of them were wearing barely more then bras and shorts, since Director-baka had insisted that all women wear a pair of spandex shorts under their costumes (it was, in fact, her only smart order). 

Tea's head and shoulders poked up from behind a rack of ballroom gowns, beat red and glaring. "Ishtar! Duke!! Get OUT!" 

Duke flashed her a coy grin. "Ah, but my dear Tea, we are having such a good time right here." 

Now the room was dead silent too, save for a low growl coming from the throat of Miho. The lavendar-haired girl, who was clad in a black nun skirt, a wimple, and her bra, suddenly lauched herself toward them with an almost primal yell. Her friend Heather grabbed her and yanked her backward. 

"Miho!" she hissed. "Think about it! What would happen if you tried to kill them dressed like you are?" 

Miho blinked, and then grabbed a random shirt off the rack nearest her, yanking it over her head. Several other women got the idea and began to feverishly dress in anything they could find, all the while shouting encouragement to each other. 

"We'll get 'em!" 

"Yeah, we'll show them!" 

"How dare they, trying to peep on us!" 

Duke and Ishtar glanced at each other and gulpled. Oh crap, they were in trouble now. Slowly they began to inch toward the door, but unfortunately for them, Rebecca spied their attempted escape. "Hey! They're trying to escape!!" 

Ishtar and Duke threw caution to the wind, turned tail, and ran. 

*********************************** 

"Hey, do you hear something?" Gwen asked, stopping in her tracks. Lisa and Serenity glanced at her, confused. The three were on their way back from talking to Mrs Benson, and were just outside the door to the Cultural Center. 

"Like... screaming?" Serenity asked, surprised. 

"Hey yeah," Lisa said. "I hear it too!" 

The door in front of them burst open, and Ishtar and Duke ran out at top speed, a mass of woman in various costumes thundering behind them. The two men were hard pressed to keep ahead of the mob, and sooner or later they knew they'd be caught. But of course, they'd much rather that it be later! 

Serenity, Gwen, and Lisa stood staring long after the mob had passed. Serenity was the first to recover, and blinked several times. "Was that..." 

All three looked at each other. 

"Never mind." 

()()()()() 

WSJ: *jumps up triumphantly* YES! 

Ryou: >.> Geez... What now? 

WSJ: ^^ I just discovered a cure for writer's block!!! 

Ryou, Jonathon & Scott: O_O NANI??? 

Ryou: But authors and authoresses have been trying to discover that for _years_!! How'd _you_ manage to find it?!?! 

WSJ: *shrugs* Trial and error and lots of writer's block. 

Scott: So what's the cure?? 

WSJ:.....Maybe I'll wait and tell you next chapter. ^^v 

Scott, Ryou, & Jonathon: NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

WSJ: Oo; Okay okay, fine... Here's WSJ's Writer's Block Cure. 

1)Get up from the computer.   
2) Go to the kitchen.   
3) Fix yourself a big mug of strawberry lemonade (this can be made by adding 1/3 cup of Hershey's Strawberry Syrup to one gallon of lemonade)   
4) Sit down in front of the TV   
5) Watch your favorite TV show (Kim Possible!! ^^v)   
6) Go outside and play catch with you little brother (if you've got one).   
7) Call up your best friend, just to chat.   
8) In general, FORGET ABOUT WRITING. When you go back to whatever you were working on after some real R&R, your writer's block will have gone poof. ^^ I really do recommend the strawberry lemonade though. *^^* Yummy. 

Chapter 16: Opening night! Serenity's got the gitters, Yugi's developed stage fright, Duke and Ishtar are cross-dressing (WHAT??) and through it all, the True Pharoah decides it's time to make his move. But what's this? The telepath with the steel-blue aura shows up! And he's actually _helping_ Ryou fight Jalila?! 

God bless minna-san! 


	16. Telepathic Troubles: Jalila's Battle

WSJ: ....I don't really know what to say to this, except, as always, read and review! *goes back to reading her latest book* 

Bakura: *turns his head sideways so he can read the title* Ancient Mysteries? What the heck! 

WSJ: You know, ancient mysteries. The "lost continent" of Atlantis, King Arthur's grave, how the Egyptians built the pyramids... 

Yami: *pops up* Oh come on! It was easy! All we did was- 

.............. 

I'm sorry, there seems to have been a temporary loss in connection. Please stand by. 

.............. 

Yami: -and that's all there was too it. 

WSJ: O.o; Really? Facinating... Anyway, heed my warning all you readers. ^~ This chapter isn't all it seems. Heavy fore-shadowing abounds! 

Ryou: v_v;; Great... 

Yami: *blinku blinku* Hey, isn't this close to ending? 

WSJ: Actually, yeah it is. A few more chapters, two or three, maybe four, and the Freshmen year at Tokyo U will be over. 

Ryou, Yami, & Bakura: O_o; So what next? 

WSJ: ^^v Next we move on to what happens during the summer, a little story I like to call _Home Sweet Home_. 

Yami: *has read the rough drafts* Oh for the love of Ra... 

WSJ: ^-^v I don't own YGO, Amoura & them are Brood's, Gwen & co are mine. See ya' at the end notes! 

()()()()() 

The Yamis of Tokyo U: Freshmen 

Chapter 16 -- Telepathic Troubles 

_Quote of the chapter: (There's actually two, both from the same source, too. *glomps Duo*)_

"Why is it always the quiet guys who end up doing things the flashiest ways?"   
~(Duo Maxwell - Gundam Wing)

"There is no black and white, only shades of grey."   
~(Duo Maxwell - Gundam Wing) 

"....This is the stupidist thing I have ever seen." 

"No, the stupidest thing you've ever seen is me! Pink is _not_ my colour." 

"Oh pipe down, it's your fault we're in this mess." 

"...." 

"That's what I thought." 

Ishtar stuck his tongue out at Duke, who scowled. "I saw that." 

The door to the dorm opened and Malik walked in. His eyes immediately widened and he turned around to walk back out. Ishtar grabbed his arm. "No hikari! This isn't what it looks like!" 

Malik frowned and eyed him. "In that case, I don't want to know what you're doing." 

Duke's scowl only deepened. "It's his fault anyway." he grumbled, motioning to Ishtar. "He's the one who suggested we peep on the girls..." 

"Was not!" 

"Was too!" 

"Hey!" Malik pushed himself in between them. "Stop acting like six-year-olds, will you? Now please, someone, give me a rational explenation as to _why_ you are in women's clothing before I loose my sight!" 

"I heard that." 

The three turned to see Ryou leaning casually against the door frame, an amused smirk on his face and a bundle of lacey garments in one arm. Malik facefaulted, causing Ryou to chuckle. "They're not mine, they're Bakura's. When he first became mortal and had to start worrying about clothes, I bought him several dresses as a joke. Heaven only knows why he brought them to college with him." 

"...Sentemental value?" 

Malik rolled his eyes. "Will someone _please_ tell me what's going on?!" 

Duke was stripped down to his waist, and from there down was wearing a black, A-line skirt and high-heeled boots. He was half-leaning against the wall, because he hadn't quite gotten the hang of how to balance in them yet. His hair was down, and was surprisingly curly. His usual headband had been replaced with a bow, even though he still had his customary dice earring. 

Ishtar was wearing tight capris and a pink blouse, and what small bits of his hair weren't held rigidly in place by gel were curled. 

Ryou chuckled again and tossed Duke a white lace bra, followed by a box of kleenexes and a purple tanktop. "Duke and Ishtar got themselves into a bit of a jam with the nuns, and need some way to convince them not to murder them." 

Duke flinched slightly. "It wasn't my idea!" he insisted again, and Ishtar snorted. 

"Right." 

Malik blinked, his face in a (O_o;) expression. "So you're cross-dressing?" 

Ishtar shrugged. "Sure, why not? If we convince them all that we're gay, they won't be mad at us for peeping in a lustful manner, and will lay off." 

"...And you think that will work?" 

"Yup! Think about it though, if you were a woman, would you care if a known cross-dresser saw you naked?" 

Ryou and Malik blinked, and then said flattly "Yes," 

Ishtar face-faulted. "Oh, well, you'd be wrong, then." 

Malik sweatdropped, and Ryou coughed politely. "I'm still not sure why I offered to help..." He handed Ishtar a pair of platform sandles and poked Malik. "How do they look?" 

Malik took a good, long look, trying not to choke at the implications of his yami dressing in drag. "Well, they sure look lady-like..." A strange expression came over his face. Of course, if it had been back in Battle City, it wouldn't have seemed so strange. But this was Tokyo U, and the expression was all-out sadism. "But they could use some make-up." 

Malik bared his teeth in a grin as Duke and Ishtar shuddered, and Ryou smiled. 

It was not a nice smile. 

~*~ 

Months narrowed to weeks, and soon, weeks narrowed to days. Opening night of Tokyo U's production of The Sound of Music came ever closer. 

The cast and crew had been radicly surprised when Ishtar and Duke showed up in their new outfits, and true to Ishtar's theory, the nuns had stopped trying to dissect them. Gwen told them, though, that the girls had all vowed to slay them if they so much as stepped outside in men's clothes. This was said half from jest and half from truth, and half because Gwen just wanted to see Duke in a skirt. 

Dress rehersal went off with only a few minor problems, most of which could be easily fixed. And then... opening night came. 

"I can't do this!!" 

Gwen sweatdropped as she watched Serenity pace back and forth back stage. "Sere', you'll be fine! Just calm down..." 

"Calm down? Calm down?! Gwen, there's _people_ out there!!" 

Gwen chuckled and stood up from where she'd been sitting on the steps that led to the stage. She took Serenity's hand and led her to the corner of the curtain, moving it a little so they could look out. "Yes, there's people. That's a little obvious. But look in the front row." 

Serenity did, and her fears immediately abated a little. Her mother was there, along with Mai, Shaadi, and Tristan. Grampa and Mako were chatting about something, probably Duel Monsters, while Ryou relaxed and talked with his father, Shen Bakura. Sencing then watching, the telepath turned and smiled, waving slightly to the two girls. 

"You see?" Gwen asked. "Most of the people out there are the ones you love. Or at least," she amended, "The ones in the front row." 

Serenity grinned and let the curtain drop back into place, giving Gwen a hug. "Thank you Gwen-chan." 

"Hey, no problem," Gwen grinned, hugging the younger woman back. "Now come on, we've still got to get into make-up." 

It was about an hour later, during the scene on the gazebo, when things started to go bad. Ryou had had a growing sense of dread all night long, and now it came to a point. It almost seemed to crackle around him, and he was surprised his hair wasn't standing on end. 

At first, he thought it was just the all-around weirdness of sensing his girlfriend's aura, but having her lifted and twirled by nothing. He still couldn't sense Takeo's aura at all, and yet he could _hear_ him singing. But it wasn't that... He was sensing something else... Something... bad. It was coming close to the end of the scene, and the time when Takeo and Serenity, as Rolf and Liesal, would kiss. Ryou was all but growling, clutching at the armrests of his chair. 

His father glanced over at him, then did a double-take and nudged him in the side. "Ryou," he whispered. "You're glowing. Douse the light." 

"Would if I could tou-san." Ryou bit out. "Something's wrong..." 

Just as the song was ending and they prepared to kiss, a short figure immerged from back stage. It was Rhian, and she came to stand center-stage, right in front of Serenity. She had her arms crossed and was glowering feircely. 

Takeo and Serenity blinked in surprise. "Gretl?" Serneity asked, trying to stay in character. 

Rhian let out a short, barking laugh and in a voice entirely _not_ her own said "Gretl? No. My name is Jalila." 

Ryou, in the front row, and Yami, Yugi, and Bakura back stage gasped at this. Rhian began to glow, and slowly she morphed into the slightly-off Magician of Faith that Bakura and Joey had encountered in the Shadow Realm and Ryou had seen in his dreams. 

People began to scream and run, save for Ryou, his father, and Shaadi, Tristan and Mai, who had seen this sort of stuff before. "Otou-san!" Ryou called over the noise, grabbing Shen's arm. "Keep everyone outside until this is over. If someone calls the police, keep them out too! I don't want any innocents getting hurt." 

His father nodded and took off toward the exit, dragging Mai and Tristan along with him. Shaadi cast one last worried look at the white-haired boy before running to catch up. Ryou turned back toward the stage just as Jalila swung her staff around and knocked Serenity through the back of the gazebo set, which collapsed on top of her. Ryou yelled in outrage, and his aura burst out full force around him. He took two steps and then jumped, half-levetating so that he dropped to the ground between Jalila and Serenity, all but shaking in anger. 

"Ryou," Joey slid to a stop next to the pile of crashed set that was his little sister and began to shift some of it off her. "I'll take care of Serenity. You handle the witch." Ryou contemplated this, and then nodded solemnly. "Take care of her." 

"You know I will." 

Ryou fell into a defensive stance, his fists balled. Jalila grinned cockily at him. "So, the little mouse has come out to play! Oooh, I'm sorry, was that your girlfriend?" 

"As a matter of fact, it was." Ryou said crisply. "And, if I'm a mouse, you must be the rat." 

Jalila snarled at him and with a yell launched herself at him, poised to whack him with her staff. He dodged easily enough, and then threw himself into a flurry of punches and kicks, all of which Jalila either avoided, blocked, or perried with her staff. Suddenly, in a move Ryou had totally failed to anticipate, Jalila spun her staff around and jabbed the un-ornamented end (un-ornamented save a pointed metal tip) into his stomach. 

Ryou gasped in pain and fell to his knees, his shaking hands covering the bloody wound. But it was already healing, although it was draining his energies to do so. Jalila was on the verge of launching a magic attack that, in his distracted and weakened state, would kill him. Someone shouted his name from the other side of the stage, and Ryou blinked, realizing for the first time that Takeo hadn't run with everyone else. "Jalila, whoever you are, you don't get away with hurting Serenity-chan and Ryou like that!" 

Ryou formed a question, but it died on his lips. It was like a cloak had been thrown back, reveiling the steel-blue, telepathic aura that was Takeo. 

Takeo grinned at Ryou's astonished expression, pushing his glasses up on his nose. "Surprised?" 

Ryou quickly got over it with a short nod, and both boys began a wary circle with Jalila in the middle. 

Joey watched from his place at the back corner of the stage, where he cradled Serenity's still form in his arms. Bakura and Yami were crouched just back stage, ready to run out if help was required. As it was, the blond and the yami were the only ones to hear Bakura's quiet remark. 

"And so it begins..." 

~*~ 

"Please! Everyone, just stay back!" 

Mako, who had the loudest voice anyway, had purloined a bull horn from Director-Baka and was trying to keep the police at bay. He had no trouble with the cast, crew, and audience, as they had seen Jalila first hand. The police, unfortunately, were another matter. 

Thankfully (or unfortunately, however you choose to see it) he didn't have to hold them back for long. As soon as the last of the cast escaped through the backstage entrance, there was a loud explotion from inside. Shen gulped worridly, and Mrs Wheeler looked like she was about to cry. "Joey and Serenity are still in there!" 

(Yes, I know she and Mr Wheeler are divorsed, and she probably would have taken back her maiden name. However, I am lazy at the moment, and don't feel like thinking up one for her. So nyah. :p) 

"It's all right, Auntie" Scott assured her. "Ryou wouldn't let anything happen to them." 

A second explosion followed the first, this one blowing the entire roof off the drama center. People shreiked and ran as bits of tile and shingles rained down on them. Through the cloud of dust and smoke, three figures spiraled upward. It was too far away to distinguish any features, but one was glowing white, another a dark purple-grey, and the third steel blue. (Of course, Shen and the others knew who they were, but the general public didn't) 

Floating a hundred feet in the air, Ryou panted, wiping a bead of sweat off his cheek. He and Jalila eyed each other warily, and then Jalila dived toward him, her staff raised to stab at him again. He threw up his hands, forming a sheild, which she glanced off of. She went spinning end-over-end for a few meters, recovering just in time to dodge the attack Takeo sent her way. 

The energy blast crashed into a parked car on the ground, and Takeo gulped in alarm. "Watch your aim!" Ryou yelled as he dove past. He hit Jalila in a flying tackle, and she yelped, turning to hit him with her staff like a cricket bat. He growled and backed away. 

"This isn't working!" Takeo said as he and Ryou dodged a dozen magical attacks that Jalila sent their way, though at least three out of seven hit their intended marks, causing the two telepaths to wince in pain. "We need a new stratagy!" 

"Any suggestions?" Ryou asked. "Bakura was always the stratagist!!" 

Takeo sweatdropped slightly as he threw up a sheild of his own momentarily, breathing heavily from the sheer exhersion. "We're more likely to wear out before she does, so we have to take her out _now_." 

"Right. Wonderful. Great plan." Ryou grit out. "We need help!" 

"Yeah, someone's just going to appear." 

Ryou wondered for a brief moment how Takeo could be so sarcastic in a situation like this. The other psychic was right though, there wasn't anyone else to help them, so they had to help themselves. 

He screamed as another of Jalila's attacks got past his weakening sheild, sending him crashing into the wall of the already demolished drama center. He lay under a pile of rubble and groaned, half-aware that above his head someone, Takeo, he thought, was calling his name. 

"Ryou! Onii-san, for shame! You're not giving up?" 

At this point, nothing shocked Ryou. Not even the voice of his dead little sister, strangely enough. "But there's no way we can win..." This thought was half-moaned, half-thought, but apparently Amane and whoever else was with her, since he could vaguely sence at least two other auras, got the idea. 

"There's always a way to win, you just need to find it." That voice had belonged to Jonathon, Bakura's twin brother. 

"She's too strong..." 

"Shadows never defeat the light." The third voice was closer, more real and defined, and Ryou was aware, then, of a hand on his shoulder. Whoever it was was feeding him energies, healing the worst of his wounds so he could go on fighting. After what seemed an eternity, he was able to place the aura above him, Fate, who smiled. 

"You wished for help?" 

"Fate..." Ryou was at a loss for words momentarily. "Why would you...?" 

"Because you hold the Ring. Because you are the Child of Fate. Because you need help, and Jalila needs eradicated." Fate's smile widened somewhat. 

From over on their left came Shen's voice, calling out to Ryou. If Ryou had had his sight, he would have noticed several expressions flicker across Fate's face at once, the predominant one being surprise. But as it was, he didn't see and didn't sence her thoughts. "I'm okay dad!" 

Fate grabbed his hand suddenly and pulled him upward, toward where Takeo was trying to do his best to hold off Jalila alone. "'Bout time Ryou!" He blinked in surprise behind his glasses. "Who are you?" 

Fate had a funny feeling about this boy, this other telepath, this Takeo. Just to be safe, she decided not to reveal too much. "I am Fate." And that was all she said. Takeo stared at her a moment, then shrugged and turned back to the task at hand. 

"Takeo, Fate-sama, I have an idea!" Ryou said suddenly. He grabbed Fate by the hand, and Takeo's hand in his other, which he then placed on his shoulder, leaving Ryou one hand free. "Consentrate all your energies on one massive blast." 

This had to work. It _had_ to. If it didn't Tokyo U and all the people watching below were as good as doomed. Ryou shut his eyes, as much from habit as the need to keep back the tears. He thought of his father, of Serenity and Joey, of Bakura and Yami and Yugi, all sitting defenceless down below. Hiro, Amoura, Gwen, Malik... Oh this just HAD to work! 

Fate's mind was filled with other things, her eyes full of other tears. The family she'd had to leave so early on, the lover she'd never be able to hold again, the son who would never know her... These were foremost in her mind as she lent her own energies to Ryou's massive ki blast. 

Takeo's thoughts were on a different course then the other two, entirely. 'Must it be like this? Jalila _must_ die. It's for the best. It's part of the plan... That's what he said. But...' The telepath tried to swallow the tears that were unaccountably making themselves known. 

'But Jalila was... my friend...' 

The ki ball was released, and Jalila screamed in pain as she was hit. Her eyes sought Takeo's as she began to fade. Both of them knew Jalila was dying, and Takeo turned his eyes away. 

Fate took Ryou's hand, neither of them noticing Takeo's tears. "One last spell. Ready?" 

Ryou sighed and blew some bangs out of his eyes. "As I'll ever be." 

The two concentrated, and began to glow a bright golden colour. The began to rotate slowly, and the glow began to spread. "Erase their minds!" The golden light dispersed in a flash brighter then the sun, and the police, the audience, the cast, everyone except those who had known about Ryou's telepathic ability and Jalila to begin with, and those who counted as friends, began to scratch their heads and wonder what in hell happened. 

When the light faded, Fate and Ryou had both gone. Takeo frowned slightly and teleported back to his dorm, mulling over what had just happened. 

The True Pharoah was seething inside. Now he'd not only lost Jalila, but the battle as well! His frown deepened and he snapped his fingers. "Rigel, prepare your army. We strike at the heart this fall." 

~*~ 

Joey looked up as a figure appeared through the dust and debris of what used to be the stage of the drama center. He hugged Serenity closer to him, but then relaxed when he saw that it was only Ryou. The white-haired telepath was limping slightly, and his clothes were torn and blood-stained in several places. His face and hair were coated in blood, mostly from a deep gash above Ryou's left eye, which was already beginning to heal itself as Joey watched. 

Ryou dropped to one knee, and held out a hand, palm facing Joey. A small sphere of light formed, and whatever injuries Joey had sustained from the collapse of the roof began to knit. He sighed in relief, and then held Serenity's limp, rag-doll form out toward Ryou. 

The telepath's face creased in a frown, and he carefully took Serenity, cradling her against him. He began to glow very softly, and the glow spread, healing Serenity's body. She sighed softly and nuzzled closer to Ryou, causing him to smile gently as he stroked her hair. 

And Joey could only watch, and try to grip the reality that he was losing his sister. 

()()()()() 

WSJ: ,^^, Ryou/Serenity fluff 4-eva! Hehe... 

Advertisement: If you're a Pegasus-fan, or even if you're not, please go read my fic _Brown Eyes_. ^^ I plan to write a sequel to it, for those of you that have asked, but I won't be working much on it because of this. *points to YoTU & all its sequels* :p 

Chapter 17: Ryou's in bed, resting from his ordeal, and Shen, Amoura, and Joey all come to visit him (not all at once, of course). Shen wants to know who Fate is and why she looks familiar to him, Joey wants to have a man-to-man talk with Ryou about Serenity, and Amoura wants to know if Ryou and Bakura would like to stay the summer with her in France. Hm... Can anyone say "alterier motivations"? :p 

God bless minna-san! 

(Minna-san means "everyone") 


	17. The Legend of Destiny and Fate

WSJ: Mmmmm... Pie... *licks chocolate filling off her fingers* ^^ Yummy! 

Amoura: >.> You zcare me Mizz Ezz-Jay... 

WSJ: :p Glad to hear it 'Moura-chan! ^^v Well, the freshman year is nearing its close. Not yet though. Still a few more chapters left. ^~ So stay tuned! 

Amoura: ....You zound like a badly-filmed commerzzial... 

Disclaimer: YGO isn't mine, it belongs to the great and glorious Kazuki Takahashi-sama (you know, I once had a dream that Kazuki-sama asked me to marry him... Oo;; He was intresting... He looked like a cross between Mako and Shen Bakura... *twitches*). Amoura & co belong to Brood. Gwen, Scott, Hiro, ect, belong to me. ^^ 

()()()()() 

Yamis of Tokyo U: Freshmen 

Chapter 17: The Legend of Destiny and Fate 

_

Quote of the Chapter:

_

"I feel like... I've just dreamt of an action movie!?"   
~(Hideki - Chobits) 

Ryou groaned and opened his eyes, mumbling something about hitting Fate over the head the next time she got him to do a spell of that magnitude. Hiro chuckled at this from his place at the desk. "Feeling any better Ryou?" 

"Anyone catch the licence number of that bus?" 

Hiro chuckled again, swinging around in the desk chair to face the telepath. "Sorry, no. It was just some crazy woman by the name of Jalila. Bakura explained about her." he went on, frowning slightly. "What a crazy story..." 

"How much did he tell you?" Ryou asked, seized with a sudden and unexplainable panic. 

"All of it, hikari." Bakura said as he walked into the bedroom to sit down on his own bed, across from Ryou's. Ryou started to say something, and Bakura held up a hand. "I know, I know, but Shaadi, Yami, and your father all agreed with me. Gwen, Hiro, Scott, and Amoura are our friends, and they deserve to know who, and what, we really are. Besides, don't you think Fate let them keep their memories of the fight for a reason? Everyone else has forgotten." 

"They know everything?" Ryou asked, momentarily stunned. 

Hiro nodded. "Yup. Everything from the Millenium Items to the Shadow Realm to the Locking Rituals. Although I can't say I understand half of it..." He shook his head wryly and stood up as there was a knock on the door. "Well, that's probably Gwen." He grinned widely. "She's trying to talk me into coming to visit her in Cali this summer." 

Ryou and Bakura both rolled their eyes as Hiro moved out into the small livingroom of their dorm. He opened the door and was surprised to see not only Gwen, but Amoura as well. He nodded a greeting to the French girl as he and Gwen started off down the hall, bickering about the cost of an airline ticket and how in the world were they going to get this by their parents? Amoura grinned and shook her head, then walked into the dorm bedroom. 

"Amoura!" Ryou said happily. "I thought it was you!" 

"Like you could mistake her for anyone else." Bakura said, wrinkling his nose at him playfully. "Didn't you once say that all auras are unique?" 

"Well, yes," Ryou chuckled. "What's up Amoura?" 

Amoura hesitated a moment, glancing shyly at Bakura. The white-haired ex-yami got the idea and nodded. "I'm going to go find Yami. He still owes me money." 

This caused both Amoura and Ryou to pause. "What?" 

Bakura grinned widely, showing off the fangs he still had, even as a mortal. "I bet him 2000 yen that we'd have to tell Amoura, Gwen, and Hiro about the Millenium Items by the end of the year. We're cutting it a bit close, but a bet's a bet and he owes me 2000 yen." He grinned again, waved jauntily, and left the dorm, closing the door behind him. 

Amoura stared after him a moment, and Ryou frowned at something amiss in her aura that he couldn't quite place. "Amoura?" 

Amoura gave him a watery smile, though he couldn't see it. "I 'ad promized Tea zat I vould come and talk to you avter zee play, but now I do not zink it iz nezzizzary..." 

"What do you mean?" Ryou asked, beginning to get a bit worried at the whistful tone in her voise. 

She sighed and looked down at her hands. "You zee... Oh ziz iz zo embarrazzing! I zink I am in love vith your brozzer- vell, I guezz he iz not really your brozzer, but-" 

Ryou cut her off, sympathy in his smile. "Ah, I see." he scratched his chin. "This is a bit difficult to explain... You really think you're in love with Bakura?" At Amoura's nod he pursed his lips in thought and sat silent for several minutes. Finally Amoura could not stand the silence any longer and burst out, 

"But never mind R'ou! Tea told me all about Bakhura, and he even admitted to mozt ov it ven he waz telling Gven and Hiro and Scott and I about you. He even zaid zat he uzed to beat you, alzough ve could never believe zat." 

"It's true." Ryou said quietly. Amoura looked at him, started. "After I first received the Ring, he'd beat me nearly every night. It took knocking me blind and nearly losing me to the Shadow Realm to finally get him to care. But then, that's what's important, isn't it? That he cares now. Amoura, I don't blame you for loving him. In fact, I think, given time, he could very well fall in love with you. 

"But you need to understand a couple things first. Bakura's original life, in Egypt, was an extremely hard one. He was forced to give up his only child to his bitter enemy to raise. He lived in the desert with his lover, robbing tombs. Yes, he had a wife. Yes, he loved her very much. But she's dead, five-thousand years dead, and he could learn to love again if you give him time." 

"Zo vhat do I do?" Amoura asked quietly, her eyes full of hope. 

Ryou grinned, almost impishly. "Amoura, you don't really want to spend _all summer_ in France without _any_ of your friends, now do you?" 

Amoura's face brightened in understanding. "Oh no, zat vould be 'orrible! Vould you and Bakhura like to zpend a few veekz vith my family in France? Avter I azk my mama, of course." 

Ryou blinked, and then smiled. "Thank you for the invitation, but _I_ can't. I already promised my martial arts sensei that I'd come back to the school and help teach all summer." 

Amoura looked down. "Oh. I do not zuppoze Bakhura vould come zen, if he iz zee only vone..." 

"Not necissarily." Ryou said. "Why not invite a few other good friends, besides Bakura?" 

"Ah! Zat iz a good idea! I could ask Yami and Yugi to come vith me." 

"They'd like that." Ryou said, grinning widely. "Do that." 

"I vill." Amoura said, delighted at the prospect of the summer to come. "Zank you zo much R'ou!" 

"Don't mention it." Ryou said. "Just make sure you have fun for me, 'kay?" He winked as Amoura got up to leave, and she giggled at him. "Ve vill." 

It was several hours before Ryou was awarded another visitor. His father tapped quietly on the door, and then entered. "Ryou?" he asked quietly. "You asleep?" 

"No tou-san," Ryou said, sitting up in bed and smiling at Shen. "I wasn't. Anything wrong?" He'd senced a fragment of something in his father's mind, worry and wonder and a good deal of puzzlement. 

Shen scratched his head and sat down next to his son on the bed. "That's part of the problem, I'm really not sure. During the battle, when you were hurt and I came looking for you, who was that woman next to you? The one with the wings?" 

Ryou's face lit up in a grin. "Ah, that was Fate-sama. Each of the Millenium Items has an Element, a guardian, if you will." He zoned out for a minute and his voice went slightly flat, as if reciting something by rote. "Fate for the Millenium Ring, for the boy who was Fated to have it. Hatred for the Millenium Rod, for its holder knows no love. Time for the Millenium Puzzle, for the Pharoah stands immortal. Death for the Millenium Tauk, for it can see the future, past death's hold. Desire for the Millenium Eye, for above all its owner desires a lost love. War for the Millenium Scales, for they were created to delay one. And Passion for the Millenium Ankh, for its holder is passionate about what he must do." 

"So Fate is the guardian of the Ring?" 

"Slightly more then that." Ryou amended. "Goddess of the Ring, is more like it. She actually helped Yami create the Ring, forging it in the Fires of Destiny herself." 

"Fires of what?" Shen asked, confused. "What's the difference between Fate and Destiny?" 

Ryou chuckled and leaned back against his pillows, and gestured for his father to get comfortable. This would be a long explination. "The Fires of Destiny, along with the Waters of Love and the Shrine of All Knowledge, are places in Purgatory. From what I understand, the Fires give you a little taste of Hell, the Waters a little taste of Heaven, and in the Shrine you are judged and then sent to your final destination, be it Heaven or Hell Proper." 

"Right, but that still doesn't explain the difference between Destiny and Fate." 

"Hold on, I'm getting there. Have you ever heard the Legend of Fate? No? Well, it tells the stories of two sister goddesses, Fate and Destiny. Fate was the older, and Destiny the younger. Fate was wiser as well, and wanted to see what being human was like. So she became human, and her sister Destiny, who had always been jealous of her, killed her while she was in a vulnerable, mortal state. Of course Fate came back, and condemned her sister to burn forever in the Fires of Destiny. 

"That legend is _mostly_ true. I say mostly, because there's a few facts that whoever first wrote down the legend got wrong. Fate and Destiny weren't sisters, they were cousins, and they were the same age to boot. They weren't mortal, but they weren't goddesses either. I think they were sprites, but I'm not sure. Anyway, they both trained to be mages, Fate in the magic of Order, while Destiny trained in Chaos. Any guesses where this is going? 

"They travelled eventually to the mortal plains, where they had to pass one final test as humans. And, predictably," Here Ryou paused to roll his eyes. "They went to Ancient Egypt. Like in the legend, Destiny killed Fate, using her wild magic. Thankfully though, a certain Pharoah was able to resurrect Fate, and in turn she cursed Destiny to burn in the Fires. To thank Yami for helping her, she then forged the Ring in her cousin's flames and swore to always protect whoever held it. The gods and goddesses were so impressed, they granted her goddess status as well. 

"And Fate's kept her word. Bakura and I have met her a couple different times now, although this was the first time in our realm. Usually she just comes to us in dreams or visions." 

Shen openly oogled at his son, since he knew Ryou couldn't see, and therefore couldn't take offence. Finally he managed to say "So the other Items have goddesses too?!" 

"Oh no, not all of them." Ryou said. "I've seen them all, but haven't really met any except Fate. Fate, Passion, and Desire are goddesses, while Time, Hatred, and War are gods. Death is... something else, I think. I'm not so sure what." 

Shen continued to stare, and then, all at once, shook his head, trying to get back to the original subject of his visit. "When I saw Fate from a distance, she looked familiar to me somehow..." 

"Well, you did know about Bakura before you met him, could you possibly have known about Fate too?" 

Shen shook his head again. "I only knew that the Ring carried a spirit because of your mother. She never said anything about a guardian goddess!" He sighed and stood up. "Probably just some weird sort of deja vu. Now get some rest, okay Ryou? Oh, and your sensei called. He wants you at the dojo two weeks from Monday, the day after you get out of school, okay?" 

Ryou groaned slightly, but nodded and chuckled good-naturedly. "Hai. See you soon tou-san." 

Shen waved at Ryou, and as he left the building he passed Joey going the other way. They greeted each other, and Shen left to get back to work. Joey headed for Ryou's dorm. As soon as he knocked, there was a small chuckle, and then "Come on in Joey." Ryou chuckled again. "So many visitors, so little time... What brings you here?" 

Joey smiled, but then his face turned serious. "My sister." 

"Ah..." Ryou's expression wilted slightly. "Well, I expected this sooner or later." He sat up straight and smiled at Joey. "So go ahead." 

"Glad you understand." Joey said, his mouth curving upward into a slight smile. "In the absence of our father, who is currently and hopefully forever in jail," Joey's snort showed his oppinion of that. "I've had to look out for Serenity. I would've anyway. I mean come on! I'm her big brother. She deserves a man who will treat her with respect, and love her unconditionally. She deserves someone with honor and a strong sence of family. Someone kind and brave, who isn't afraid to put himself in danger if it means protecting others, even if they don't know that they're being protected." 

Ryou started to say something, but Joey held up a hand. "No, let me finish. I've known you for a little over four years now Ryou, and I've considered you a friend for at least three. You've proved yourself over and over again, from rescuing Serenity from the Shadow Realm and letting me tag along, all the way down to healing her of her wounds yesterday. You've protected her, and me, on too many occations to count. I know you love her, and the fact is that she loves you too. 

"There's really no denying it. As much as I don't want to lose my sister, I'm glad you're the one she's chosen, pal." 

Ryou blinked, his eyes misty. "Joey, I - I don't know what to say..." 

Joey's eyes too were slightly tearful as he smiled. "Say you'll protect her." 

"I will, I always have, and I always will." 

"Say you'll love her." 

"Forever and ever." 

Joey's smile had turned decidedly wavery as he clamped a hand on Ryou's shoulder. "Say you'll make her the happiest girl in the world." 

"I will, I promise Joey. I promise." 

"Then that's really all there is to it," Joey stood up abruptly, wiping the tears out of his eyes. "She loves you, I know she does. Take care of her." He turned to go. 

"Joey?" 

Joey paused in the doorway to the dorm. "Yeah Ryou?" 

"She loves you too, you know." 

Joey smiled quietly. "Yeah, I know." 

After he'd left, a vision floated across Ryou's minds-eye. Mokuba Kaiba and Lisa O'Kelley dressed in white gi's, attempting to beat the crap out of each other while Rebecca Hawkins looked on and laughed. Hiro and Gwen, both dressed in bathing suits, snuggled together on a beach towel in the sand, while a soaking wet Malik ran up with a surf board tucked under one arm. Serenity at a desk in what was obviously a hotel room, writing a letter to someone. Amoura, Tea, and Yugi standing on a Paris street, with the Eiffel Tower in the background, laughing as Yami and Bakura danced by, sword-fighting each other with long loaves of French bread. This caused Ryou to chuckle slightly, and knew then that summer would turn out just fine. 

()()()()() 

WSJ: ....Short chapter... ^^v Well, only one more chapter and the epiloge to go before we move into _Home Sweet Home_. So stay tuned! ^^ 

Chapter 18: Now that most of the summer plans have been organised, it's time for graduation! Isis and Scott are now out of school for good. ^~ Yay. Mako, Bandit Keith, and Rex all get summer jobs, and Scott figures out what to do this fall. As for Shaadi and Isis, they have some plans of their own... 

God bless minna-san! 


	18. Epilogue: Scattered to the Winds

WSJ: *running around crazily and screaming her head off* 

Scott: *eyes her* What's her problem? 

Ryou: *chuckles* She's mad that she has to wait a whole 'nother week for the finalle of "Joey's Betrayal"... 

WSJ: I wanna see Yuugi go bye-bye!! 

Yugi & Yami: >_> 

Ryou: ^^; Don't mind her, she's always like this after a new episode... 

WSJ: *stops running around and Amazon-Tackle-Glomps Duke* Kawaii! 

Duke: v__v;; *mutters* When did Shampoo get here... 

Ryou: *laughing* SJ has bacome rather obsessed with Duke/Otogi over the last week, so be sure that we'll be seeing more of him from now on... 

WSJ: ^^ I even started an entire AU fic based around Otogi-kun! ^o^ No telling when it'll be out, what with all I have to work on with this series... But it's called _Of Cards and Dice: Otogi's Story_. While I'm on the subject, what theme should Otogi's dueling deck have? I'm thinking fire/pyro, but I'm not sure... 

Duke: ....Lovely. Just absolutely peachy.... 

Ryou: ^^ You know she loves you when she gives you your own fic... 

Pegasus & Duke: *sweatdrop nod nod* 

Scott: *sighs* SJ doesn't own YGO, nor does she own Amoura and Yunet, Lisa and Amoura's family, which are Brood's. Hiro, Gwen, Takeo, and I, as well as various others, do belong to her however. 

Muse-ic of the moment: _Purgatory_ and _I Don't Wanna Be Your Friend (I Wanna Be Your Lover)_, both by Pat Benatar. 

()()()()() 

The Yamis of Tokyo U: Freshmen 

Epilogue: Scattered to the Winds 

_Quote of the Chapter:_

"Real stupidity beats artificial intellegence every time."   
~(Ridcully; Terry Pratchett, Hogfather)  
((Hehehe... That's one of my favorites! *waves a little flag that says "Long Live Pterry"*)) 

"What do you mean I can't get a job here?!" 

"To put it bluntly... You're not a girl. We need cute waitresses here, not scruffy little boys like you." 

"But what about him? He's not a girl!" 

Duke choked on the snicker that had been rising in his throat and gave the newcomer his very best 'Who me? I'm just an innocent little crossdresser' look. Somehow, the guy applying for work didn't seem convinced. 

Duke's sister sighed. "Duke works here for two reasons: he's family, and he's cute enough to be a girl anyway. Besides, he attracts the female side of the population well enough with his 'sexy god' act." She shot an annoyed look at Duke, who again tried his best to look innocent. 

It had been a week since the last battle, and Duke had gone back to work at the cafe. His classes were all over, but thank God he had plans for the summer! He did _not_ want to be stuck in Domino with his sisters the whole time. The fact that he was shifting from staying with his sisters to staying with his cousin on the other side of Tokyo was of little consequence to him. At least he could finally get out of women's clothes. The various actresses he and Ishtar had peeped on made sure to "drop in" every now and then and make sure he was still keeping up his act. 

"You might as well hire him imouto-chan." he told his sister, leaning against the table he'd been wiping down. "After all, I'll be gone all summer anyway." 

"Whaaat?!?" his sister shreiked. "That's not fair! Where are you going?!" 

Duke smiled smuggly, fiddling with the die earring in his left ear. "I'm going to cousin Rei's for the summer. So nyah!" He stuck his tongue out and then backed away from the swing she took at him, laughing at her expence. In a huff, she turned back toward Rex. "Fine, you're hired. But don't come crying to me when everyone asks where Duke went." 

Duke just grinned. Ah, a relaxing summer at his cousin's temple was stretched out before him. Nothing but peace and quiet and sweeping the courtyard. No crazy duelists only three feet high, no nuns chasing him down with intent to kill, no demons, no Shadow Realm. Just peace. 

Little did Dukey-boy know how very wrong he was. 

((If you all are thinking what I think you're thinking... Then yes, I do mean _that_ Rei. ^~)) 

~*~ 

Isis hummed as she tossed her various belongings into boxes. Just one more week of school, and then they'd be free for the summer. She, in particular, would be free, since she was graduating tomorrow. She and Shaadi had plans to move in together in Egypt. Isis hadn't told anyone yet except Mai, and was semi-expecting Malik to blow a gasket. But then again, he'd be in California all summer, so it didn't really matter what her brother thought of the plan. 

Come to think of it, almost no one was going to be left in Domino City. Ryou would be, but he'd be at the house by himself. Bakura was going to France, and his dad had a summer-long dig planned in Greece. Mr Moto would be staying behind too, of course, to run the Turtle Game Shop. Since both Yami and Yugi would be gone, he'd hired Mako to help him out for the summer. 

Scott would still be around too. He was graduating tomorrow with her, and had agreed to take the teaching postion at Domino High that Shaadi had vacated. He'd be spending the summer building lesson plans, poor guy. 

Pausing, Isis sat down on the window seat, resting her chin in one hand. Looking out across the Tokyo skyline, she smiled as she felt Shaadi come up and sit down beside her, running one hand up her arm to rest around her shoulders. 

If you'd looked at them now and hadn't seen them since Battle City, you probably wouldn't recognise them. Shaadi had his black hair back in a ponytail, and while it wasn't as long as Ryou's or Malik', it was well past his shoulders. He was dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, with a light leather jacket over top, and black boots. The Ankh was hanging around his neck, but the Scales weren't visible. If Isis had had to guess, she would have said he'd cast a dimention spell and stuck the Scales in their own private "pocket" of space similar to where magical girls kept their henshin sticks and various other gadgets. 

Isis had changed too. Her hair was shorter now, and she had laid off the heavy adornment of jeweralry in favor of a few smaller, more stylish pieces. She was wearing a t-shirt as well, and jeans and sandels. Her hair was pulled back into a high ponytail. The Tauk glimmered around her neck, where she'd since reclaimed it from Yugi. 

The two sat like that for awhile, and didn't even look up when the door behind them opened. They certainly did, however, when Isis's roommate and best friend let out a loud wolf whistle. "So, the love birds make themselves known. When are you going to tell everyone else what you guys are planning?" Mai asked, leaning against the doorframe, a mischevious grin on her face. 

"...The day before we leave." Isis muttered quietly. 

Mai threw back her head and laughed. "Good thing I already know, I'll make sure not to be there when Malik loses it." Still grinning, Mai flashed the two a peace sign. "Make sure you send me a postcard." 

"Will do," Shaadi said, grinning and mock-saluting. "A letter, even." 

"Good," Mai said, still smiling. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have one more exam to plow through before my junior year is officially over. Ja." 

"Ja ne Mai." the two chorused. 

~*~ 

Ryou yawned and fidgeted slightly in his seat, trying to get comfortable. Beside him, Bakura elbowed him in the side. "Stop squirming." 

"I can't help it." Ryou whispered back. "It's so boring!" 

"...Well, I agree with you there. Why are graduations so long?" 

"So people like you two can get tortured," Serenity said from Ryou's other side, laughing quietly. "Now both of you shush, Isis's name is coming up." 

It was graduation night for Scott and Isis, and both the white haired teens were bored out of their minds. Ryou had come because Serenity asked him to, and Bakura had come because he didn't want to be sitting around the dorm alone all night. Besides, Scott's parents, Joey and Serenity's aunt and uncle, were throwing a party afterwards. And if there was food, Bakura would be there. 

Ryou shifted possitions once more, then settled down and prepared to let himself catch a quick cat nap. He was just drifting off when he felt a slight breeze brush across his forehead, though it failed to even stur his bangs. He didn't twitch a muscle, but mentally he jumped awake. It wasn't just a draft that he'd felt, it was someone reaching out to lightly touch his conciousness. He was just starting to get alarmed when a voice quietly and deftly inserted itself into his surface thoughts. 

_"Do not be alarmed Child, I simply need to talk to you." _

(Of course, honoured kami. May I ask who you are?) 

A quiet laugh. _"Of course Child. I am the one known as Hatred, Guardian and god of the Millenium Item your friend Malik currently holds." _

(Well met Hatred-sama. Why is it you need to talk to me_?) _

"Fate would have bespoke you herself, but she and Time are deep in their research and cannot be disturbed. We are afraid, Child, that the Shadow Realm is increasing its activities. We do not think that anything will happen to you over the summer; a group of fighters in the heart of Tokyo are taking care of most of the attacks right now. But come fall you must be careful." 

(Who are these other warriors you speak of? Do we know them?) 

"No Child, although according to Time one of your number will get to know them soon enough. They do not even know of us, nor do they call the Shadow Realm by its proper name. But their guardians are in contact with us, so in a roundabout way they fight with you. They will hold off the True Pharoah for now, but even though they will attempt to destroy him during the end of Augest, they will not succeed, even if they think they do. This coming school year you must be increasingly careful, although by that time you will have these fighters' help as well." 

(Can you tell me anything more about them? How will we know them?) 

"You will know them. And it is already telling too much to tell you what I have. Just know that the Elementals side with Ryou Bakura, now and for eternity..." 

Hatred's voice faded away, and Ryou dropped off to sleep for real. In his sleep, he dreamed of the future, as he almost always did, whether he realised it or not. He saw in this dream the same scene he had at Christmas, of Serenity in a wedding dress. Mai and Gwen were giggling at her, and she looked like the happiest woman in the world. Then it faded away, and was replaced by a rapid succession of several different scenes. 

He saw Duke Devlin outside a Shinto shrine, laughing and talking with a blond girl in a sailor-style school uniform. He saw Hatred and Fate, each of them with a cat in their arms, one of them white and the other black. Malik surfing, Amoura with a little boy of about two, and Yugi and Tea on top of the Eiffel Tower followed so quickly after each other that they almost overlapped. Then came the only sound at all, a earth-shaking roar, and suddenly his vision was filled with the head and face of a dragon, its eyes as dull and blind as his own. For a moment they stood there looking at each other, and then the dragon turned and leaped away. It was only then that Ryou saw Joey and Serenity on its back. 

The last picture, one only seen faintly as Bakura shook him awake, was the one he wouldn't remember later, no matter how hard he tried. Serenity stood in the middle of a grassy hill, watching a little girl run around and play. She looked over her shoulder and smiled as Amane and Jonathon, followed closely by Isis, Shaadi, and Pegasus, climbed up the small hill to join her. Serenity turned, and for a moment looked straight at Ryou. Then she faded away, and Ryou woke up. 

Looking around, slightly disoriented, he realised that the ceremony was over, and everyone was beginning to leave. Bakura was looking down at him, a concerned expression on his face. "Are you okay Ryou?" 

It took Ryou a moment to gather his thoughts, but then he smiled up at his yami. "Better then ever Bakura. I was just thinking about the future." 

()()()()() 

WSJ: .....For most of you who think you know who I'm talking about when I mention the Soldiers, you're probably right. _Home Sweet Home_ and _Yamis of Tokyo U: Sophmore_ will definately be a cross-over with another anime, but you won't need to know anything about it, because I'll try my best to explain it all. After the Sophmore year, the influence of the other anime will fade, although it'll still show up from time to time, but only as passing acquaintences. *sweatdrop* Am I making any sense at all? 

Ryou, Scott, and Duke: *shake their heads* 

WSJ: *sweatdrop* I thought not. Well, the Freshmen year is over, and everyone's off to their various vacations. ^~ So make sure you look up HSH, 'kay? Ja till then! 

God bless minna-san! 


End file.
